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#plus my manager was there which definitely made it worse
carmenlire · 7 months
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I hate my job. forget all the usual complaints about people telling me they don't have inboxes while logged into gmail and the website they need to go to is actually an email address but I just.
I was helping this guy and it was just a regular interaction, with him being moderately annoying as is usual. well at the end of me scanning his papers he, out of nowhere says "wow ur so beautiful." and in my head I'm just yelling fuck!!!! because whyyyyy do men do this shit, especially when I'm at work like u r nothing but a customer to me and I will happily forget you the second I walk away. and ofc tonight my manager is working and she's like 5 feet away at the computer desk so like double fml. it's just so awkward and I feel so put on the spot and gross, you know?
well I just say thank you and take a step back (because again the interaction is done) and he doesn't take a hint but instead goes on to ask me if I have a boyfriend. I just say no and walk away.
and coworkers always say I should just lie and say yes but 1) I'm very weird about lying even as an adult and 2) something in me just resists saying I have a boyfriend so much. I'd (almost??) rather say I have a girlfriend but obviously i'm not doing that at work. idk it's almost like it feels more dishonest to say yes i have a boyfriend? but also i said no take a hint!
he didn't take a hint. he called me back over by saying he needed help with something else, which whatever, but no!! he said "u said no what does that mean. do you have a man or not" and again my manager is right there and it's so quiet in the library and i just said no again. and he pressed me AGAIN and finally i just said "i'm not having this conversation with you" and inside i was shaking? hmm that may be too much but i was just so deeply uncomfortable. and the minute i said that i feel like he got pissed-- and i saw my manager whip her head over to me. i just walked away and went to the workroom and my manager came in a few minutes later and was extremely supportive.
i just feel so gross about it all. why do men do this at work?? where i can't escape?? where my customer service rebels against the very idea of being firm or doing anything that a customer could view negatively even if rationally i know that me and my wellbeing? my sense if self? comes first (even if i know it isn't that deep).
tonight was the first time i've said no and walked away and also the first time i said point blank i'm not having this conversation. it felt good even if doing so was almost unbearably embarrassing? i was sitting in the back after my manager talked to me and i just felt. . . embarrassed.
and i KNOW this is wrong but i feel so self conscious like- do i dress provocatively at work? is it my fault? are coworkers judging me for my appearance like i'm inviting this to happen, like i want men to hit on me? i wanna ask a coworker if they think i should dress more conservatively but i was literally wearing black dress pants, a black sweater, and loafers. but were my clothes too tight? am i a complete unprofessional?
and then the whole queer thing is an entirely separate dimension. i tweet about it to vent when it happens but just-- the idea that men perceive me in such a way, especially when i am never aware of it, when i am doing nothing to cater to them, just makes me so uneasy. every time a guy hits on me at work i feel betrayed almost? like we are just customer service worker and customer. i literally dislike 99% of all people i talk to at work. and when they do this it just makes me feel like the rug has been pulled out from under me and the question of boyfriend just kinda makes my skin crawl.
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princeoftenderness · 11 months
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#i keep rambling in the tags of various posts#like i’m just finding so much food for thought on various posts it’s really cool#idk i’m like enjoying several different shows and ships at once lately so i’m just kinda bouncing between them like a happy pinball#like will graham *ding* morpheus *ding* whatvever fanfic I’m reading (at the moment it’s geraskier despite me not having seen s2 yet) *ding*#plus i’m getting a little bit of creative ideas again#still very little energy to actually Do stuff#but i think the surgeries have made me definitely less poorly#bc i can think better for the first time in a very long time#which means there is a veritable smorgasbord of special interest backlogs#somewhat ironically my physical spoons are much worse than before panproctocolectomy + ileostomy surgery#but i also still have an ongoing deep open wound that isn’t really healing#plus i’m barely managing to eat#so there’s like A Lot going on#but thankfully i can enjoy more things rn#and soon i won’t be immunosuppressed anymore#so i will be going out out very very soon hopefully#so excited#i don’t even care (mostly) if i can’t dance yet#they have seats where i’m going so i can sit down drink lemonade and listen to music#and like chat to people in person who aren’t medical professionals doing (often very unpleasant) procedures on me#like just socialising for fun! at a gay bar!#like i’m so looking forward to it#literally the first night i can manage to go out i’m going#fully vaxxed and boosted and still gonna do some social distancing stuff
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ghostofhyuck · 11 days
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Gang AU Series 1
Bodyguard! Mark Lee x Mafia’s daughter! Reader
Summary: “I’ll be happy to die, if it means protecting you.” 
cw: violence and mentions of death. 
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
“You know, it’s a bad idea —-”
“Mark please!” you let out a deep sigh. “Stop being an overthinker! You’re making me nervous.” 
“See! Even you're nervous about it, that means there’s something wrong with it!”
“I’m nervous because I might fuck up my speech if you don’t stop talking!” you shouted, proceeding to go to your dressing room and slamming the door against your bodyguard. 
You felt peace now that you’re not in the same room as with Mark. You went to the drawer full of jewelries, pulling the first slide as your mother’s collections of pearls went on full display. You only smiled bitterly as you recall how your mother is so obsessed with pearls. You remember when you’re just a kid, you watch your mother dress up and wear her sets. Now, it’ll be you who’s wearing it. 
You felt your heart tightening. It’s been a year since your parents died. A year since they left you and your older brother Johnny to take over their empire. An underground black market that sells illegal products and trades with guns.
It’s been a year and yet you still couldn’t comprehend how they died. An ambush, during a mayor’s dinner party. There weren't any other casualties aside from them. As if they’re the targets. After all, after their death, a lot of people attempted to take over the empire. Luckily, your brother is already accustomed to managing the market. Your brother was a powerful man, that’s why they didn’t stand a chance against him. 
On the other hand, you tried your best to live a normal life even though you never had a normal family background. Coming from a family who’s been in a gang for years, there’s a huge part of your life that needs to be hidden. Not to mention, being the only daughter means they’re much more protective when it comes to you.
That’s where Mark comes in. He’s used to working under the gun trades but Johnny seems to be fond of him along with some of the other members, that’s why he made Mark your personal bodyguard. 
“Yn, are you done? Because it’s almost 8 am, and we don’t wanna get stuck in the traffic,” Mark said behind closed doors.
“Yeah! Just a minute,” you shouted back. Wearing the last assembly of the set which is the pearl necklace. You went to the full-size mirror to check your fit. You only smiled because the pearls complimented your outfit. You went out and saw Mark on his phone. He glances at you and stands up from his seat.
“So,” he clears his throat. “You’re really going —-” 
“Mark, shut the fuck up,” you cut him off. “I am going whether you like it or not, Johnny already gave me permission plus it’s a school event!”
Mark became quiet, he was about to say something but then thought that it’s a bad idea.
“What is it?” you asked with gritted teeth.
“I’m just trying to look after you,” Mark justified. 
“Well it’s not helping, you’re suffocating me,” you answered one last time before storming out of the room, where the others are waiting. 
“Damn, Mark-hyung got you already?” Donghyuck teased.
“Shut up Hyuck, is the car ready?” you asked. 
“Of course it is princess,” the latter said.
You had Mark as your bodyguard four years ago. He’s three years older than you but your brother assures you that he’s a skilled fighter along with the others.
Having Mark as your bodyguard meant having another annoying older brother. He’s overprotective and an overthinker too. At some point Mark was definitely much worse than your brother who’s very chill with you as long as you come home alive. 
It got worse when your parents died. Something shifted inside Mark that he became twice as overprotective and overthinker than before. It went to the point that you feel like you have no freedom at all, and it sickens you. 
You tried numerous times to shove him away, even complaining about it to Johnny who only laughs at your complaints. 
“Soon, you’ll understand why you need someone like Mark,” Johnny winks at you before leaving you alone in your room. You sat there, surprised because of your brother’s words. You tried to understand his side but as day passed by, Mark just didn’t do anything but to get into your nerves. 
The car ride was tense, you notice how many times Mark glances at you in the rearview mirror while seated at the passenger seat. You tried your best to keep calm, practicing your speech numerous times. You are required to attend a school event because you’re the awarded student leader in your college department. It was an honor for you and you also wouldn’t miss the opportunity to hold a speech and talk for your fellow students. 
The university was bustling with people, perhaps it was because of the annual school festival. There’s a lot of booths, activities, and events prepared for the whole week. Mark became more tense as they arrived inside the campus. You stepped down from the car, the remaining others getting out of the car. 
You were about to leave when Mark grabbed your arms. 
“Mark, we’re inside the school campus, it’s okay —-”
“It’s not okay yn, just this once please,” he said with a soft tone. “I can just accompany you alone if you want, there’s no need for the rest to come.” 
You raised your eyebrow but you saw the worried look on his face and somehow, you couldn’t help but to soften. He’s right, and you feel like you’re being too harsh to him. You could only tug your arms away from him before proceeding to walk. 
“Donghyuck can come too.” 
“You heard her!” Donghyuck chuckles. “See you later losers.” 
All eyes are on you as you walk towards the auditorium where the event will be held. It couldn’t be helped especially when your family’s background earned you quite a reputation too. And to think that you’re walking around the campus with two guards behind you just adds more to your image. 
As you reached the auditorium, you were welcomed by the event organizer who’s a friend of yours. You only smiled as she ushered you towards the backstage but you remembered the two. 
“You two just stay here, get a seat maybe, the talk will start in a few minutes. I just need to freshen up,” you told them. Mark only nods while Donghyuck gives you a thumbs up and “Good luck!”
As Mark watched you walk away, he couldn’t help but to let out a sigh. Donghyuck glances at the older. 
“Stop worrying too much,” Donghyuck chuckles, playfully slapping Mark’s arms. 
“I don’t know man,” Mark replies. “I just feel like something is off.” 
The program started a few minutes later. Mark and Donghyuck stood there and watched you enter the stage with a bright smile on your face. Their eyes are locked on yours as you went to the podium and started delivering your speech. 
Mark still couldn’t feel at ease as you delivered your speech. Everything feels off and he wanted to to trust his guts despite what you and Donghyuck said. He glances at Donghyuck who’s only smiling proudly, watching you deliver your speech in front of your fellow students. As Mark glances at his right, his eyes widen. 
There were two men talking to each other. They were wearing caps and shades, trying to hide their identity. He nudges Donghyuck who only ignores him. As the older nudged Donghyuck harder that’s when the younger complained.
“Hyung what the fuck —-” Donghyuck wasn’t able to finish his words when he heard gunshots. 
“Fuck, get yn!” Mark shouts, as the sound of another gunshot was heard.
You didn’t know what happened, all you knew was the first gunshot was heard and the next thing you knew, you felt something painful scraping against your arms. You fell down out of shock, and the continuous firing can be heard. You watched as the students panicked, trying to find their way to exit the auditorium. 
You were helpless as you tried to stand up and escape when someone grabbed your arms. You almost screamed when you were welcomed by a familiar face. 
“Yn it’s me!” Donghyuck shouted. 
“Where’s Mark!?” you asked.
“Handling the guys, we need to leave —-”
“ — wait, what about Mark!?”
“He can handle himself, don’t worry,” Donghyuck said one last time before dragging you and escaping your way out of the auditorium. 
You watched as the school ground turned into chaos. You couldn’t believe that what’s supposed to be a great day turned into a nightmare not only to yours, but also to innocent students. You wanted to help them but Donghyuck’s strong arms dragged you away from the chaos. 
“Hyuck!” You saw Jeno approaching along with Jaemin. 
“Help Mark-hyung there! We need yn safe,” Donghyuck orders. 
“Renjun’s already had the car started!” Jeno shouted before going inside the auditorium. 
You couldn’t help but to cry as you entered the car, Renjun immediately drove away from the campus as soon as the doors closed. Donghyuck could only pat your shoulder lightly, trying to assure you that everything’s going to be alright. 
“It’s my fault Hyuck, I should’ve listened to Mark,” you said between your sobs. 
“Hey, it’s not your fault,” the older one said. “Also stop worrying about Mark-hyung, he can handle it. He wasn’t hired by Johnny-hyung if he was weak.”
“This is bullshit, who the fuck would do it at a school event!?” Renjun muttered angrily as he drove. 
“Hyung! Focus on the road!” Jisung shouted.
“It’s obvious that it was a perfect timing for them, especially since it’s yn’s first appearance after Mr. and Mrs. yln died,” Chenle explained. “But they probably hired the wrong people, look, they barely shot you.” 
That’s when you remember that you grazed your arms. Your sleeve was stained with blood but it wasn’t that deep. You only wince because of the pain, while Donghyuck covers it with his handkerchief. 
“You should rest for now yn, we’ll just tell you when we arrived,” Donghyuck said. 
And you couldn’t even protest. That’s when you slowly felt exhaustion get into you. A few minutes later, you doze off to sleep. 
-
You don’t know that it was already night when you woke up. As you sat up from your bed, you couldn’t help but to groan in pain due to the sudden movement. You look around and notice that you’re in your room, and as you look at your clothes — someone changed it into a comfortable tee and cotton shorts. Your arm had a bandage wrapped around the graze, that it’s most likely your bodyguards’ doing. 
You noticed that the pearl set that you were wearing is resting idly on your side table along with your bag and phone. You grabbed your phone and saw that it was almost eight in the evening. You were asleep the whole day. 
That’s when you decided to get out of your bed and have yourself some food. You opened the door and was surprised to see that the hallway was empty. Usually, your bodyguards will be there waiting for you. Now that you notice it, the house was eerily quiet. 
But as you enter the kitchen, you heard small noises and to your surprise —
“Mark!” you shouted.
As he turns around, he only gives you a smile, making yours drop. 
“What happened to you!?” you asked as you saw his cuts and bruises, not to mention, the arm sling. 
“It’s nothing, just a fracture bone —-”
“Are you stupid!? How can you say that it’s just nothing?” you shouted. You couldn’t help but to cry, seeing Mark all rugged-up because of the event earlier. 
Mark approaches you and slowly places his other arm around you, pulling you closer as you continue to cry. 
“Hey it’s okay, I’m okay see?” Mark said softly. “I just fell on the wrong side, that's why I broke some bone.” 
“I can’t believe you let yourself be left behind, what if you died!?” you shouted. 
“Well that’s my job, if it means dying to protect you, I’ll do it,” Mark explains, and because of his words, you punched him in his chest, making him exclaim in pain. 
“Stop that,” you said. 
“No seriously, I swore that to Johnny-hyung,” he said in a serious tone. “I’m going to protect you no matter what.” 
You became quiet, your swollen eyes staring at his brown ones. Mark only gave you his sorry smile and you don’t know what to say. Perhaps this is what your brother is trying to say to you. 
Mark’s loyalty cannot be compared to the others. He was dedicated to protecting you no matter what, even if it means sacrificing himself, he would willingly do it for you. You only fall into your own thoughts as your eyes wander around his wounds. You don’t know why but your hand intrusively reached for his cuts, you saw how Mark tried to cover up his pain. 
“Can you promise me something?” you asked. 
“Anything you want, I’ll do it,” he swore. 
“Don’t die for me,” you stated. “If you want to protect me forever, you have to keep yourself safe too.” 
Mark only chuckles, grabbing your hands as he kisses the palm of it. “If that’s what you want, then I swore to you that I’ll be safe.”
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thebubblesareevil · 1 year
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A Deal is a Deal…
I haven’t really posted any danny/kaldur in a bit so here you go
Danny was having a really long, really stupid day.
First he was late for his exam because he woke up to kitty and johnny fighting in his apartment. By the time he got that sorted out he had to rush to campus.
Then, by some miracle, the proctor let him in despite being late only to realize he was in the wrong exam halfway through. (He decided to finish the test and turn it in rather than admit his mistake.)
Then he finally managed to stop and get a truly unholy cup of coffee that he topped off with his last bit of ecto shot only for someone to run into him, spilling his coffee.
Which really didn’t make the blind date Sam set him up with anywhere near bearable. She was nice, don’t get him wrong, however Sam has two types of friends outside of Tucker and him. He was pretty sure he would have preferred hearing about the deforestation of the Amazon than have the heavily pierced girl get wayyy too excited when she realized he was from Amity Park. After he finally escaped with the excuse of feeding his dog Sam decided to call to find out how the date went.
“She did the thing Sam.” He stated bluntly as he struggled to unlock his door.
“And which thing would that be Danny? The one where she’s interested in your personality or the thing where you might need a restraining order?” He groaned, thumping his head on the door before checking the hall for neighbors. With the coast clear he phased through, once more leaving his arch nemesis to fight another day.
“The second one, or at least that definitely seemed where it was heading. She kept asking about all my favorite cemeteries back home.” He threw his keys on the counter, dropping his bag to the floor.
“Well did you tell her about the one near the old clocktower? I’m sure she loved that.”
“Sam, she wasn’t asking about nightly walks and talking to ghosts. She made some not so subtle hints about what she liked to do there.” He could hear Sam wince through the phone.
“Eww, sorry Danny. She really seemed like someone you would click with.” He sighed as he looked through the bare cabinets.
“Not your fault, to be fair things were going great till that point. Plus most people don’t see half as much as I do in graveyards. It could have been worse.” He grinned.
“Oh yeah, what are you thinking?”
“Do you remember that guy from the protest you set me up with awhile back?”
“You mean Orion? What about him? You said he tried to gas light you.” Sam almost sounded offended on behalf of her semi-cannibalistic friend.
“Oh he did more than that. He followed me home.”
“No!”
“Yep, apparently I was being stingy and he thought I owed him so he tried to steal my bike.” He laughed.
“Ugh, don’t worry I’ll be sure to pass the word on to his new partner Marcy. I guarantee he’ll regret it.” He shrugged as he ate a piece of plain bread.
“It’s whatever, at least he didn’t try to kill me.” Sam sighed.
“It was one time!”
“Oh really?” He said as he munched. “If I remember correctly it happened twice.” He could hear the sound of Sam smacking her forehead.
“The first time doesn’t count, that was an accident! Besides Valerie tried way more than I did.” She huffed.
“Yeah, I know.” He yawned, heading over to the bathroom, discarding his socks and shoes along the way. “Some how neither of you are even my worst exes to date.” Sam snorted.
“No I think that title belongs to that crazy Viking that was convinced you were going to start Ragnarok.” Danny felt a small tug at his core as he brushed his teeth.
“What can I say? She was charismatic!” He claimed after spitting into the sink.
“Yeah well Miss. Charismatic nearly talked you into a war with her brother just because he flirted with you.” The tug on his core got stronger. “Personally I would have gone with the brother.” Danny nodded as he nearly tripped walking to his bed.
“I mean, that was never in question. Regardless, I’m swearing off Vikings for the next century.” Danny began struggling to take his shirt off without setting down the phone. The tug on his core was stronger than ever, try as he might to ignore it.
“You really suck at this dating thing, I killed you twice and somehow I’m still not in your top ten-” Danny struggled to escape his stupid shirt as his core PULLED, sending him tumbling to the ground. With a groan Danny finally gave in and just pulled the stupid shirt through his body only to come face to face to someone that was distinctly NOT his bed.
He looked around,coming face to face to someone he was actively avoiding.
“Ello Phantom? How’s death going for ye.”
John Constantine, accompanied by what appeared to be some of the newer members of the Justice League.
Danny decided the best option for this would be to do his best impression of a confused, semi-hungover college student.
“Look man, I don’t know who you are, or what you want but do you have some coffee or something? I’m dying over here.”
“Yet not foolin anyone mate. Need a favor from you. Or rather your better half of you don’t mind.” John replied vaguely as he rubbed his hands together before blowing some kind of powder all over Danny.
Danny stood there flabbergasted, as a rain of dust? Covered him head to toe. He stood there for a minute before his face started to twitch as John began to chant a spell. Danny took a deep breath and-
“AACCHHOOO” John jumped back as the sneeze disrupted the dust.
“What the hell man?” He scolds as he rubbed his nose. John grunted.
“Stubborn little shit huh? Too bad we need the Phantom and he’s coming out one way or another.” Once more he began to chant, Danny however chose to ignore this fact as he took in the faces surrounding the circle. They were clearly some of the younger heroes, even a few apprentices by the looks of it. But Danny really didn’t have time for this, he had another exam tomorrow.
“Look man, I’m not sure what you’ve been smokin or how I got here but unless you’re gonna help me study for my engineering exam, then I gotta go.”
“Please wait.” Danny spun around to face the hero standing behind him, stopping him before he even started to leave. The handsome hero stood tall, clearly he was the leader of this group, which begged the question of-
“Why? What you guys possibly want from me?”
“Allow me to explain. I am Kaldur’ahm, though I am also known as Aquaman. We are seeking the help of a spirit of hope and protection that goes by the name of Phantom. We need his help.” Danny gave the gilled hero a considering look.
“With what?” Kaldur’ahm somehow managed to stand up even straighter.
“A powerful magician by the name of Zatanna was pulled into the Infinite Realms. We need to help of Phantom so we can venture into the realms to retrieve her.” He replied with a barely noticeable sense of urgency. Danny raised a brow.
“You want to go to another dimension? With help from a ghost named Phantom? And you want my help to what? Summon him?” John scoffed, completely ignoring the glare Aquaman sent his way.
“Don’t go playin dumb mate. How exactly do you think you got here.” He pointed to the floor “ That there is a summoning circle, invoking Phantom by name. Now here’s how I figure it. Either you’ve gone and disguised yourself or you decided to take this poor sod for a joy ride.” He smirked. “So which one is it mate?” Danny glared at the Englishman.
“Whether you’re Phantom or not we need help.” Danny sighed as he looked back at the hero.
“Well what’s in it for me? You dragged me from my apartment and you want my help, give me a reason.” He announced.
“Name your price demon.” Danny rolled his eyes at the annoying sorcerer.
“Not a demon.” He paused, trying to figure out what he could ask for as the little heroes started to get nervous. He was gonna help them one way or another, ideally they would give up on him and send him back to his apartment. It would be easy enough to get a magician out of the realms. Danny took one more look around the circle before grinning.
“How about a date?” He said, looking directly at Kaldur’ahm with a grin. He laughed before he continued “Just Kidd-”
“Deal.” Danny choked on his own spit as his cheeks lit up like a Christmas tree. John shouting from the other side of the circle.
“What the bloody hell kind of request was that?!?”
“ I didn’t think he’d say yes!!!!” Danny covered his cheeks as the handsome hero smiled at him.
“A small sacrifice to help a friend, though not a difficult one.” Danny’s face turned a darker shade of red as green started to bleed into his cheeks. ‘Was this guy seriously flirting with him right now?!?’ The hero raised a single smug brow at him, tilting his head just slightly to the side.
“Do we have a deal?” Danny took a deep breath, coughing into his hand.
“Uh, yeah sure, I’ll get your friend back from the realms.” Kaldur’ahm smiled, Danny blushed. “I guess I’ll just… yeah.”
“We shall begin preparations immediately. Once Phantom arrives we should head out immediately, the less time Zatanna spends in the realms the better.” His face closing off as he got serious, Danny couldn’t deny it was cute before he realized what he said.
“Oh, yeah no, you guys aren’t going.” John practically growled causing the hairy green kid to back up.
“Like hell we aren’t! Just because you claim to be a spirit of protection doesn’t mean I trust ye.” Danny turned a steely glare on the sorcerer as he walked towards him. He made it all the way to the edge and the look of confidence he’d been sporting during this whole ordeal dropped from his face as Danny stepped over the edge of the circle.
“I don’t give two shits if you trust me! You aren’t welcome in the Realms John Constantine. Not until you get that piece of patchwork you call a soul sorted out!” He looked around at the rest of the people in the room. “Besides, it’s against the rules to bring the living into the Realms and I’d rather not have to deal with Walker today, thank you very much.” John glared.
“Look here you dead piece of sh-”
“HALF-dead thank you.” He interrupted as he started to float off the ground. “Now buzz off before I change my mind.” John looked as though he intended to reply when Kaldur’ahm stopped him.
“Enough Constantine, we need his help. For Zatanna.” The British asshole grumbled to himself as he scurried off to the side. Danny stepped back on the ground, making his way over to the Atlantean.
“Hey Kaldur’ahm, before I get your friend, you don’t actually have to go on a date with me.” He looked away as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I was gonna help you anyway, I just wanted to get under Johnny boy’s skin.” He just looked at Danny with a smile.
“I thank you, however a deal is a deal, it’s too late to back out now.” Danny’s jaw dropped as the Atlantean grinned. “And please, call me Kaldur.” Danny coughed into his hand to try to force himself to talk.
“Okay… well… okay then… um…” he studdered, dying a little more inside. “I’m gonna go get your friend we can…uh… talk about the details after.” Kaldur nodded as Danny reached a hand behind him to open a portal.
“Agreed, and please be careful Phantom.” Danny paused.
“You can, you can call me Danny.” He back with a slight stutter.
“Very well Danny.” He smiled. Danny blushes as he backed up into the portal, tripping over his own two feet as he fell through. Once on the other side he quickly reached out to find the intruder in his domain. She was easy enough to find, he didn’t even bother transforming. She was standing on an unclaimed floating island only a few miles from where he opened the portal.
Armed with the knowledge that she regularly worked with superheroes he thought it would be best to announce his presence before he surprised her.
“You wouldn’t happen to be a magician by the name of Zatanna would you?” The fierce woman turned, her wand posed, ready to send a flurry of spells at a moments notice.
“And if I am?” Danny smiled.
“A friend of yours asked me to come get you.” She looked at him suspiciously.
“And which friend would that be?”
“A cute Atlantian with a killer sense of humor, named Kaldur.” She raised an eyebrow at that.
“I’ve never heard him described as having a sense of humor.” Danny chuckled.
“Yeah, I told him I’d come get you in exchange for a date. He didn’t even hesitate. Like he’d actually wanna go on a date with a ghost!” He replied with a laugh. Zatanna however did not join in and instead looked Danny up and down before looking him dead in the eyes. She grinned.
“Gotta say I can’t exactly blame him. It’s not often he gets asked out by handsome shirtless men.” Danny squinted at her confused before looking down. His eyes went wide as he realized he hadn’t been wearing a shirt the whole time!
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callsignthirsty · 4 months
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I'll do #9 "I don't care how good it feels you'd better not cum until I tell you to." With Bradley 😏
hey girl, hey —
so I’m finally getting around to the smut prompt fills from forever ago. please enjoy my first crack at writing Rooster. I had a fun time writing him, so hopefully it translates.
Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x F!reader Word Count: 1005 Warnings: sex toys, slightly under-negotiated kink (kind of), in public, overstimulation (mentioned) Minors DNI
Smut Prompt #9
The last thing any of the Daggers had expected after the uranium mission was to be granted time off. Not that you were going to look a gift horse in the mouth when it meant that your boyfriend would be home for two whole months. The time off was a gift, and you were determined that you and Bradley would make the most of the unexpected time together.
All over his assigned housing.
After three weeks, the endorphins had you in a good—if slightly loopy, dick-drunk—mood, and when the Instagram algorithm struck while Bradley was in the shower, who were you to say no?
Which is how you ended up with your newest toy for $39.99 plus shipping and handling.
Frankly, you’d thought it would be hot. Sexy. Something to spice up your already adventurous sex life. The ad made it seem like a good time, and the premise was simple enough: a remote-controlled vibrating egg tethered to an app on your boyfriend’s phone.
You’d managed to keep hush-hush about it while it shipped, entertaining visions of Bradley activating the toy while you made dinner or watched a movie. Maybe, if you were both feeling up to it, you’d wear it out while the two of you were out on a date. A trip to enjoy sunbathing on the beach. So once your package had arrived, it was fair to say that when Bradley had invited you out to the beach, waggling his eyebrows as he offered you the toy and an opportunity to take your play outside, all from his open palm, you’d said yes with a smile.
What you hadn’t expected was for his squad mates to be there. Your fate sealed when a weak mechanical vibration made itself known between your legs as Phoenix pulled you into a hug.
Dogfight football, you’re sure, is a lot more fun to watch or ignore when you aren’t being tortured. You grab an ice cube from a nearby cooler and cup it to the back of your neck, but it does nothing to cool the fire raging inside you. You whine, face tilted up toward the sun. If anything, the shock of ice against your heated skin makes everything worse. Skin tingling. Senses heightened.
“Rooster!” you squeak, grabbing more than just your boyfriend’s attention to the point that you must remind yourself that no one else knows. “Can you c’mere real quick?”
Rooster smirks, all broad shoulders and glistening tan as he passes his Nerf ball off to Coyote and makes his way toward you. “Yeah, babe?”
“Please,” you whine when he’s close enough. You’ve already crimped your beer can, toes curling in the sand as you try desperately not to writhe for all his friends and other beachgoers to see.
“Please what?”
You don’t see his hand disappear into his pocket, but you feel it. This time, you can’t help but arch your back, a gasp tumbling from your lips. “I need to cum. God, just–” He cuts you off with his lips against yours, pressing you into sun-warmed sand, and you drag him with you. You open your mouth and welcome his tongue with your own as you press your chest to his, overeager to feel his body against yours. Every touch sends a zing straight to your core. You don’t care that you’re on the beach. You don’t even care that his friends can definitely see you. You just. Need. to cum.
You’re almost there when the vibrations cut out completely.
This time your groan is from frustration. Because what the hell? Did it just die on you?!
You’re contemplating a refund when Bradley parts from you with a nip to your lower lip. “I don’t care how good it feels,” he murmurs, close enough that his mustache tickles your lip when he speaks. The toy pulses once, then goes still again. “You’d better not cum until I tell you to.”
“Bradshaw!” Bradley’s head whips around to where one of his squad mates is heckling him back to their game.
“Be right there!” He presses a wet kiss right below the crux of your jaw. “Don’t worry, this game’s almost over.”
You heave a sigh of relief. “Thank god.” The sooner you can drag Bradley back to his housing assignment, the better.
“Best two out of three.”
You pout. “Bradley.”
“Then maybe some drinks. Wouldn’t want to leave if everyone’s sticking around.”
“If you really think I’m sticking around for you t–” You’re cut off as the vibrator kicks up again, this time settling into a pattern that is just light enough that you know it’ll drive you mad.
“Bradshaw! Let’s go!”
Rooster stands up, idly brushing sand from his shorts, sunglasses snug on his stupidly handsome face. “Be good.”
What follows is the longest, most tortuous game of dogfight football probably ever. It feels like Bradley purposefully lets the other team win the second game to force a tiebreaker, all while fiddling with his phone. By the time the third game wraps and everyone makes their way to the cooler, you’re flushed and covered in beads of sweat.
Ever observant, Phoenix clocks the shake in your hand as you pass her a water bottle. Her brow furrows. “You feeling alright?”
You open your mouth to tell her you’re okay, but nothing comes out.
“Hey, Roo!” someone echos, “your girl’s looking a little flushed. She okay?”
Bradley takes a knee at your side, offering you his water like that’ll help. “You okay, baby?” And because talking hadn’t worked for you so well last time, you glare. Or try to. You’re unable to hold it. There’s no real fire behind the look—desperation and oversensitivity set in a while ago.
“Might be heatstroke,” Fanboy suggests. “Have you been drinking enough water?”
“Yeah, I just–” you cut yourself off, eyes slamming shut as the rhythmic pulsing switches up again. Blindly, you smack Bradley’s hand away from his phone. “Take me home.”
“Alright, baby,” Bradley smiles, gathering you in his strong arms. “I’ve got ya.”
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perpetualexistence · 3 months
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The Alley Cats: A fun little Team CIRRRRH AU
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(I could have tried to go for consistency with either all vectors or no vectors, but I feel like the inconsistency is more appropriate for this AU.)
So, time to share the AU I alluded to in my last post with Team CIRRRRH being gremlins to José!
It's a high school AU where each member of Team CIRRRRH have been made into social outcasts in their own unique and special ways. Plus Eva. I just couldn't bring myself to separate Team E-scope.
No one else would have them, so they started hanging out in an alley one of them found behind the school to avoid the bullying and the glares.
From the outside it looks like utter garbage. But if you go through the garbage and past the corner, you get to their little cove with a beat up couch, a stolen vending machine, a punching bag, and other little personalized touches they've added to make their place more cozy.
Alejandro's the newest addition and their self-appointed leader. He does not like his new status on the bottom of the totem pole in school. So, he leads the others towards schemes that will get them (him) back into the good graces of everyone else. Or to get revenge on those who made them into outcasts. It really depends on how well Alejandro can manage to herd these cats on a particular day.
There's only one main rule in the alley (aside from the ones Alejandro tries to impose). If someone finds their way into this alley all on their own, they're automatically an Alley Cat.
After all, if you're that desperate to get away from everybody, you probably need a group of friends more than anything else right now.
(More details about the AU under the read more, I just wanted to separate it from the basic premise.)
I'm still coming up with ideas for this AU! It's definitely a more casual one filled with wacky shenanigans. I'm retconning two of my previous posts into this au as party of the wacky shenanigans. Because they, along with the idea itself, were all inspired by a very specific animatic that you'll see in the second post. I just want to add links to them both here so they're consolidated in the same place:
Alley Cats vs. José Pt 1
Alley Cats vs. José Pt 2
Most of what I have now is trying to nail down exactly how each of these little goobers became an Alley Cat. Some of them I have a more clear idea that'll get their own posts soon enough, others are just a thought. So far, I have this:
Alejandro - Used to be a popular kid that DID a good amount of the bullying towards the Alley Cats. Thought he was leaving the country and decided to let loose. Turns out his father changed his mind. Oops. Actions, meet consequences.
Noah - Has personal beef with Justin he refuses to explain. Tried to make Justin into an outcast. It backfired horribly.
Izzy - Pulled one too many wacky hijinks that resulted in other people getting injured. The final straw was when she exploded something that ruined a good thing for everyone.
Eva - She issued her anger towards one of the sweetest people in the school to the point where she hospitalized them. She might have avoided juvie, but it sure doesn't feel like it.
Owen - Outcasted by association. He started hanging out with at least one member of the Alley Cats (still trying to figure out if it's just Noah or a combination of Noah, Izzy, and Eva) because he really didn't think anyone deserved to be outcasted. Refused to turn his back on them to save his own reputation.
Tyler - Fumbled the winning point during the big game (still trying to figure out which sport he plays when I don't do sports). Made worse by the fact that this would have finally put the school on the map towards being taken seriously. Combined with bitterness towards favoritism that allows him to stay on the team despite him being a bad player, he got socially kicked out of the team even though he's still physically on it.
And a later addition:
Duncan - Pretty much did the whole cheating thing with Gwen as in canon. Doesn't get why he's here. Essentially becomes New Alejandro once Alejandro starts getting that sweet sweet character development.
If you have any questions about this AU, please feel free to ask away! It helps me come up with things.
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pollenallergie · 2 years
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18+ only!!
do not interact if you’re under 18 years old!
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I personally disagree with the headcanon that Eddie can’t cook. In fact, I think that man passed Home Ec. with flying colors in high school. Most of the Hellfire guys took shop class because they thought it was more manly or badass or whatever the fuck, but not Eddie. Eddie needed to learn to sew because Wayne sucked at it and the old lady two lots over was getting real sick of him asking her to use her frail, arthritic fingers to sew yet another goddamn patch on his vest or his backpack or whatever else he wanted to decorate with the logos of his favorite metal bands. Glenda was a sweet lady, of course, and she loved Eddie like he was her own grandson, but even her kindness had its limits. So, he took Home Ec. Plus, he kind of underestimated it and thought it would be like way easier than shop class.
Turns out it was actually insanely more difficult because while Jeff and Gareth got to spend forty-five minutes a day working on bird houses and toolboxes, Eddie had to learn how to operate a sewing machine, create a household budget, change a dirty diaper, and, oh yeah, make like three different kinds of sauce from fucking scratch. Labor intensity aside, Eddie oddly thrived in that class. I mean, he took to the sewing machine like a champ and he made a mean roux for mac and cheese. Not to mention, Miss Bowman absolutely adored him.
That was her first year teaching at Hawkins High, having just graduated college, so she was already plenty nervous. However, it got much, much worse when the, at the time, 16-year-old metalhead, who smelled like a well-used ashtray, sauntered into her class fifteen minutes late and very clearly stoned out of his mind. Imagine her surprise when that same kid expressed a genuine interest in learning how to keep track of household purchases and sharpen a kitchen knife. Unbeknownst to her, his fascination stemmed from the fact that 1) being able to keep track of financial transactions would be super beneficial for him as a rookie pot dealer and 2) the kid liked sharp, shiny things. So, in her blissful ignorance, Miss Bowman actually kind of developed a soft spot for the misfit, much like a little kid might for a scrappy alleycat.
Not to mention, due to him genuinely wanting to learn how to do some of this shit, Eddie rarely showed up to class late or less-than-sober after that first day. He even began to enjoy that class a little bit; the teacher was nice, she didn’t hate him (which was rare), and most of the kids in the class were pretty accepting of him once they realized that he was pulling a stable A-. In fact, the future head-cheerleader, Chrissy Cunningham, even directly asked him for help with her sourdough starter once; which he thought was pretty cool (and also terrifying).
A couple years down the line, his impeccable home-making skills would come in handy when he finally managed to snag the person of his dreams, you. In fact, your first date with Eddie involved him making an elaborate feast of spaghetti in doused in a delightful, homemade bolognese sauce with a side of homemade garlic bread (Eddie made the bread from scratch and everything) and some wine (that he definitely did not steal from a liquor store two towns over because Eddie would never do that), lighting some candles, turning on some soft music (one of Wayne’s old country records; the only one that Eddie figured wasn’t too twangy), and setting tiny kitchen table like it was a fancy table-for-two at some pricey restaurant in the city. It was perfect and, honestly more than you’d ever expected. When he asked you out, you expected a simple movie date or maybe going to watch some band who was not nearly as good as Corroded Coffin play at local bar together, not an amazing home-cooked meal and a night alone with a shaggy-haired, doe eyed aidoneus. It’s safe to say that the pasta wasn’t the only thing that got saucy that night, if you catch my drift. Eddie gave you a taste of his other homemade sauce, if you know what I mean.
So yeah, Eddie Munson can cook. The man is a fucking wiz in the kitchen.
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airas-story · 10 months
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Repercussions of Folly
“I made a mistake,” Tony said. Stephen paused, taking stock of Tony’s tone of voice. Not desperate or terrified, so whatever his mistake was, it wasn’t about to break reality or anything like that. 
“What did you do?”
Tony was quiet for a moment. “I made Peter and Harley paintball guns. And because that wasn’t enough, Ned and MJ showed up.”
Stephen grimaced, that was definitely a problem. “Yes, that would be—“
“Oh, that wasn’t the mistake. That was the prelude to the mistake,” Tony interrupted.
Stephen put down his book, because Harley and Peter with paintball guns was bad enough. How was that the prelude to the mistake? The two of them had probably already made a mess of the training grounds, ambushed half the Avengers, and accidentally ingested the paint somehow.
How he didn’t know, but he also didn’t doubt it.
Tony had hopefully foreseen that though and made the paint non-toxic for just that inevitability.
Peter and Harley were absolute menaces. That wasn’t even taking into account how much worse they were when being egged on, which both Ned and MJ would do, though for different reasons. Ned because he genuinely thought it would be a good idea, MJ because she liked to court chaos.
“What did you do?” he asked again. Because things could only get worse if that wasn’t the mistake.
“Look, DUM-E was feeling left out!” Tony defended, but the defense fell short. He knew exactly what he’d done and knew Stephen wouldn’t have any sympathy for him. “I couldn’t stand it. He was moping, dragging the fire extinguisher around like a teddy bear and making those little sad beeping noises he does when I throw out the oil-tainted coffee.”
“And just like when you throw out the coffee, you need to learn to resist. You don’t drink oil-tainted coffee to make DUM-E feel better, just like you don’t give DUM-E a paintball gun he can use.”
Though Stephen was, he admitted, curious to see how Tony had managed that when DUM-E had only the one claw. But he also didn’t put it past Tony to manage it.
“But, Stephen—“
Stephen shook his head, despite the fact that Tony couldn’t see it. “No. You do not give DUM-E paintball guns.”
“U felt left out, too.”
Stephen groaned. “Let me guess, your lab is a mess.”
Tony was quiet for a minute. “Maybe the whole compound? They wanted to join Harley and Peter and the others.”
Forget half the Avengers. Stephen was suddenly quite certain that every single one of them had fallen prey. 
“Why, exactly, are you calling me?” Stephen was not, under any circumstances, going to be present at the compound until all paintball guns had been confiscated.
Absolutely not.
“Well, you see… I was hoping that, as my loving husband, you would help me with the whole ‘there’s paint everywhere’ issue. I’m making everyone who participated clean the training area by hand.” As he should. “But… uh, it’s a really big compound and there’s a lot of paint.”
“And why would I do that?” Stephen asked. “The mystic arts are not a cleaning tool.”
Tony scoffed. “You say that, and yet I saw you reenacting Fantasia.”
“That was once,” Stephen defended, automatically glancing to make sure that Wong wasn’t there to give him the evil eye again. “And you’d be lying if you said you wouldn’t do the same in my position.”
Tony scoffed. “Of course I would.”
“Wong explicitly told me I was an idiot for that.”
“But he didn’t say you couldn’t do it again,” Tony pointed out.
That… that was actually true. It’d been implied, but Stephen was a professional when it came to ignoring implications he didn’t want to accept. Which Wong knew. Which meant that if he hadn’t specifically said not to, then really, it was almost the same as blanket permission to.
“Plus,” Tony added. “I’m having a hard time grounding everyone. Well, everyone minus Ned and MJ who I have no authority to ground. I need you to be the disciplinarian.”
Stephen scoffed. “No. Disciplinarian duties belong to you, because you’re the one who let this happen.”
“Exactly. They’re not going to take me seriously when I… might have joined in.”
Stephen closed his eyes. Of course, of course Tony had joined in. Stephen almost felt bad for all the other Avengers stuck in that compound with Tony and the kids. …Though if he had to guess at least half of them had given into the inevitable and joined in as well.
Children, all of them.
“Fine. But the moment someone tries to get paint on me, I’m banishing them somewhere unpleasant.”
“I have confiscated all paintball guns,” Tony defended. “If anyone gets paint on you, it’s not my fault.”
Stephen scoffed. “Oh, it’s your fault. If I’m pretending to be the disciplinarian, you’re going to get a lecture with the kids.”
“Fair enough,” Tony admitted. “Now come save me from the repercussions of my own folly.”
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In case I delete my damn Twitter (I really should), I want to preserve the only tweets I ever made that I liked. Which, unfortunately, was rating every Fire Emblem Final Boss on their fuckability (remixed).
I'm sorry.
(Note: I confess that I am not a monsterfucker, yes yes leave your angry comments below, and I will be ranking every boss on their most anthropomorphized form to even the playing field)
(Edited on 2/17/2024)
MEDEUS (FE1/FE3/FE11/FE12)
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Oh boy here comes the most generic villain ready to offer me the most generic sex possible. How could I ever contain my excitement
VERDICT: Look tumblr likes to make evil sex with your evil spouse look de facto exciting but even the spark can go out of villain sex. If he's a boring villain in the streets he'll be a boring villain in the sheets.
DUMA (FE2, FE15)
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Man I am so glad that the remake gave Duma a human form and I don't have to be talking about ~~Duma's wiggles~~
VERDICT: I will confess to not being particularly attracted to him, but.... Not to spoil anything but he's going to be one of the better picks on this list.
JULIUS (FE4)
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He is a child.
VERDICT: He is a child.
VELD (FE5)
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Oh boy, you KNOW he fucks with the same enthusiasm of a disgruntled middle manager fitting in a quickie between reruns of Home Improvement with a wife that he's a decade past loving.
VERDICT: I mean there are worse choices on this list but love yourself.
IDUNN (FE6)
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Even putting her somewhat... neotenous features aside, the whole free will removal kinda makes the idea of sex with her pretty unethical at best.
VERDICT: And even if we ignore all that she got one rounded by Roy. Total turn off.
FIRE DRAGON (FE7)
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There is no anthropomorphized form. It's just a dragon.
VERDICT: I have concerns about size differentials here.
LYON (as possessed by FORMORTIIS) (FE8)
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Ok, ok, I acknowledge this one is kind of a stretch as those two are separate entities and the Formortiis you fight is NOT in the shell of Lyon but like. Give me a break. I know you horny fuckers want Formortiis to become intimate with your intestines. I'm terribly sorry this stupid post isn't for you.
VERDICT: Let's be real. Unless you're Eirika or Ephraim (or willing to put on some cosplay) he won't be bringing his A-game. If you are, though... oooh. Boy. The emotion would run high. There would be crying. I'll leave it up to you as to whether this is a plus or minus.
ASHNARD (FE9)
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Unlike some other options on this list, it is at least 100% proven that he has had sex, if only as a means to an end. I honestly doubt whether he would fuck for any other reason to be honest
VERDICT: If, for some reason, being used as a genetic experiment isn't a turn off, he's absolutely going to ask if he can turn a family member of yours into a mindless war beast, probably immediately after the sex. If for some reason this still isn't a turn off, uhhhhh I hope y'all are happy together.
ASHERA (FE10)
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While I could imagine most of the other characters in this list being open to the idea of sex, I really couldn't see Ashera being DTF. But...
VERDICT: She's hot in a scary Drakengard way, so I'd say it's worth at least shooting your shot. She'd probably turn you to stone, but that's the risk you take for love.
ROBIN (As possessed by GRIMA) (FE13)
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Fell Robin is a great example of the effects of evil on human attractiveness. On their own, Robin is human tofu. They are a perfect 5/10. Being possessed raises their score to at least 6/10.
VERDICT: 6/10 is better than average. Why not.
TAKUMI (FE14)
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As far as I know, he doesn't have an official age, but I see this character and I think "that's baby"
VERDICT: All I want to do is give him butterscotch candies and ask him how he's doing in school.
GARON (FE14)
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Like Ashnard, at least you can say he definitely fucked. Quite a bit, considering the excess of children he has (discounting his propensity for picking them up off the streets) So, uh, he's got one thing going for him?
VERDICT: He has this expression the entire time.
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The
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Entire
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Time.
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ANANKOS (FE14)
man who fucking cares
NEMESIS (FE16)
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He's the only final boss in Three Houses that doesn't turn into a big ol' monster so he's got that going for him (or against him, depending on your point of view.) Unfortunately, he is, however, a zombie, which I would rate as worse.
VERDICT: One certainly can't say he's slacking on the gym routine but... zombie. Does he smell? Ew.
EDELGARD (FE16)
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It's everyone favorite problematic waifu! What is there to say about her that hasn't been said before.
VERDICT: No, I mean really. Uh... if you like her I said she was stinky and if you hate her Edelgard come step on me uwu. Everyone can be mad at me. It's fun for the whole family.
RHEA (FE16)
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Rhea is a scary, scary woman and fucking her would ruin your life
VERDICT: Rhea can totally get it.
EDIT: As of this writing (2/17/2024) I have beaten Fire Emblem Engage, and have edited this section accordingly.
SOMBRON (FE17)
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Like Garon, Sombron canonically fucks. A LOT. This does not mean he's necessarily any good at it, mind, but he's got to at least... know... stuff, right? He was able to turn the yaoification beam on Hyacinth so he's clearly not completely lacking in sexual appeal. He will NOT wear a condom tho, although who on this list would?
VERDICT: I feel like you'd need to have some very specific fetishes for this to be a good idea, but if you do... have fun?
As for Heroes, I will confess that I only played Heroes very briefly; I don't know shit about the story and will have to rely on the wiki. So if I get some stuff wrong, apologies that I didn't play a shitty gacha. I was too busy... uhhhh having sex with your mom (NOTE TO SELF DELETE LATER)
BRUNO (Heroes, Book 1)
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This bitch loses shirts like a Yakuza character. His abs have more screentime than his face. He pops on screen and Yusuke Kozaki manifests behind you and whispers in your ear "don't you just HUNGER for his dick????"
VERDICT: Oh come on.
SURTR (Heroes, Book 2)
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Uh... he was pretty good on my team for the brief moment that I played. Uh... shit let's consult the wiki
VERDICT: ...oh. He's not very nice at all. Yeah don't fuck him.
HEL (Heroes, Book 3)
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Ok. Look. Listen. Ok. Ok. Look. Ok. Ok. Listen. Ok. Listen. Listen. Listen. Ok. Look. Ok. Look. Listen. Listen. Look.
VERDICT: ...
...
...yeah...
FREYJA (Heroes, Book 4)
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Ok, she's cute, but... I don't know. I just don't vibe with her design. It screams "designed for lonely dudes" and I'm a lonely GAL thank you.
VERDICT: Bring back the goth milfs.
EITRI (Heroes, Book 5)
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NO.
VERDICT: NO.
EMBLA (Heroes Book 6 oh my god how many fucking books are there)
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Oooh, she looks deranged! I like that; I'm a big supporter for women's wrongs.
VERDICT: ...Admittedly, she has more "wet drowned rat" appeal than sex appeal.
Book 7 isn't actually done yet (I think) as of time of this writing so I'm DONE. NO MORE.
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codenamesazanka · 2 months
Note
There was that joke in the fandom about Horikoshi looking through fanfics to see what theories to make canon like the "Dabi being Touya" or "the UA traitor" (even tho most of those were just stuff hinted at in the canon before hand). Since we're doing the whole "sharing memories" bit, the one fanfic trope he can definitely throw in the manga right now is the "Spinner tells Shigaraki he used to have a tail that got cut off by bullies"
Is that a popular trope? Enough to be a thing Horikoshi would pick up on. I don't think it's anywhere near the same level as 'Dabi is the lost Todoroki son' and 'UA Traitor is _____'… but it would be interesting if Spinner Tail Trauma is made canon.
Though at this late stage, I don't know if I want it, to be honest! If it's a memory, it's angst fuel to develop characters other than Spinner - guy wouldn't even be there for it. It would a real iffy choice to show something deeply personal and traumatic that happened to Spinner, something so unjust, without Spinner there—and really only for the benefit of the contrived connection between Shigaraki and Deku.
I guess because Spinner is still unaccounted for, he can still show up so it doesn't have to be just a memory, but. Still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. HeroAca resolutions are less about the victims and what they're owed, and more about how cool and merciful the Heroes are for saving them. This would be that, but even more so, and infinitely worse.
Plus, it would make the heteromorph riot mini-arc even more of a mess. Not to say there's levels of suffering that can be compared, but in-universe and in story, Shoji is kinda framed as having been worst off - his parents weren't heteromorphic like him, he got bashed in the face with a rake and was heavily scarred for life after he saved a girl from drowning, then he even has to wear a mask to prevent people from thinking he's resentful for being the victim of a hate crime. All that, but he came out of it with a strong and golden moral core, ready to be a great and inspirational Hero who protects the status quo.
Shoji's positioned as being in the right: here was a kid who suffered terribly, but he still managed to overcome the odds and be a Good Person, who thought deeply about the Right Way to end discrimination and is putting it into action (which is being a model minority). So what's everyone else's excuse?
Meanwhile, Spinner's backstory is that he only gets sprayed with pesticides, succumbs to being a NEET hikikomori, and goes running off to join terrorists without a single original thought in his head. For the narrative to work, he needs to be the selfish, hypocritical loser who didn't try hard enough to overcome his hardships that were comparatively mild.
If Spinner was revealed to have a tail cut off by bullies, the bnha balance of heteromorphic good and evil would collapse. A young boy's classmates mutilates him as the apex of heteromorphobic bullying, and the victim was left to languish as a high school dropout shut-in? That's not something that can be fixed by waiting out generations (just wait for the adults to die! their mindset would go with them—oh, but the perpetrators are the new generation…) or having the victim change their behavior (there's just no excuse for chopping off a child's body part). That reveals something much darker in the fabric of society that Heroes' plucky 'work-harder! plus ultra!' optimism are unequiped to handle.
At the very least, it's something that "Stop holding a grudge" and "Sorry for not realizing earlier" (as the rando hero tells the PLF guy in Chapter 373) and "Shine bright until your torments feel ashamed" are utterly insufficient and unconvincing in resolving. Not quite as inspirational, you know?
I'm sorry anon! I know you were asking as a joke, offering a fun idea. And I do like it! I'm still not opposed to Spinner having that canon backstory if the writing around it was to suddenly radically change the story and expand it by 300 more chapters to fix everything. I still love the idea that Spinner had a tail. I just took it too seriously and overthought it. My apologies. Thanks for the ask.
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bippot · 1 year
Text
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Summary: When he used to say that he wished he could fall in love with his wife all over again, Bob may have jinxed himself. Yet, the process of knowing her once more wasn't as smooth as he'd used to think.
Honestly, he doesn't know which is worse - his broken bones or the fact she can't seem to forget who he once was?
Tags: Angst, Amnesia, Established Relationship, Memory Loss, Airplane Crashes, Major Character Injury, Hospitals, True Love, Love at First Sight,Married Couple, Smut, Reconciliation
Music recommendation: Somethin Stupid' by Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman
Top Gun: Maverick, Robert "Bob" Floyd Masterlist - here
Previous Chapter: Think About Love
As time passed, Bob got used to his new life. He'd expected the slow paced nature of it, but he didn't expect how much he enjoyed it. His time consisted mainly of sleeping, eating, and attempting to get his wife's attention, which was something he always managed to achieve without much effort. His work, on the other hand, was non-existent.
He no longer remembered any of the information he once knew by heart. He couldn't tell an F-22 Raptor from an F-86 Sabre, so why would they let him man the weapons? Even Maverick knew that was irresponsible. And, if he was being honest with himself, he was scared shitless about the thought of getting in a plane again even though he couldn't remember even being in one in the first place. No part of Bob's brain contained any information about the crash, and he had no reason to know this, but he knew that even if he had his memories, that fact would be the same.
All the other forgotten snippets of his life had this haze to it. They were like pictures that had blurred over. But the crash? The crash was blacked out. A blank Polaroid. A hole. So, if his memories never came back, he'd have seemingly no future in his old career unless he went back to flight school and did the last ten or so years of his life all over again, which was something he desperately didn't want to go through. Plus, there was a chance that he was going to be medically retired from service anyway.
After a few weeks, he no longer needed the wheelchair but now he had to use a stick to walk instead. The doctors had alerted them to the fact that he may have a limp and need walking aid for the rest of his life, so it was beginning to seem unlikely that the Navy would be comfortable giving him his old job back. Y/N, on the other hand, still had a few years left until she was permitted to ask for retirement and leave the Navy. And there was definitely less time until her next mission.
"I, uh, I just got off the phone with my Uncle Beau..." Y/N began to explain as she sat on the counter next to where he was in the process of preparing them smoothies. It had been a rather uneventful day until that call had happened, and since then, Y/N had tried to figure out how to bring it up to her husband. She wasn't quite sure how to broach the topic, so why not take the direct approach first? "Hey honey, can you turn that off for a second?" she asked him, gesturing at the blender.
Bob nodded and turned off the machine, then he walked towards and leaned against the opposite counter. She took a deep breath. She didn't say anything at first, just looked him straight in the eye. "Bobby..." she started hesitantly, watching his face carefully. "I don't know how else to say this, so I'm just gonna come out and say it, okay? I'm being deployed next month."
"Oh." It came out almost in a whisper after what seemed like an eternity. His mind raced, trying desperately to find a response, but no words came out. "But, uh," he tried, clearing his throat as he forced his voice to sound stronger than it felt, "How, how long for?"
"Three months." That was an obscene amount of time to be apart, especially when he'd only been without her for only a few hours for as long as he could remember. So, naturally, he panicked a little. The thought of her leaving made his stomach tighten uncomfortably, his breathing becoming more laboured as tears sprung into his eyes, but they didn't fall just yet.
"You're going to leave me?" he asked, voice slightly louder than normal, although he tried to control it. He couldn't help it. He just had to get it out somehow. The words hung in the air as if he had said it as a statement. Not a question. Just an accusation. He stared at her, waiting for her answer while hoping desperately that she hadn't heard it, yet she had.
There was no denying the pain in her eyes. It tore through every muscle in his body. His mouth fell open, but nothing came out. His chest rose up and down, but nothing. Everything else stopped working except for his heartbeat. It filled his ears, drowning out everything else around him. She was leaving. She was really leaving him. Those thoughts went through his head too fast, too fast to process. He couldn't see any other way to react, other than to simply stand there and stare at her.
The tears started falling from his eyes as he watched her slowly get off the counter and wrap her arms around him. As she hugged him, he allowed himself a small sob, burying his face into her neck. Y/N kissed the top of his head lightly. Then she pulled away, placing her hands on each side of his face, wiping the tears from his cheeks.
"I'll be back," she cooed, looking deeply into his eyes and placing her forehead against his, causing him to close his eyes momentarily. He could feel her breath against his face, and suddenly, he found it hard to breathe again. Her lips were just inches away from his own, but he didn't dare move to kiss her. The urge to was overwhelming, but at the same time, he was afraid of the repercussions.
They weren't intimate. Affectionate, maybe. A quick peck here and there. A hug. Gentle hands in the other's hair. That was it. The kind that affectionate friends would do. Even then, she almost always initiated since he was so preoccupied with not overwhelming her and pushing his luck. There had to have been a thousand occasions during their relationship when he'd been about to do something that would push those boundaries, then remember her feelings, and he'd hesitate, unable to risk that rejection.
It was rare that he acted out, but the fear of losing her was strong enough that he had been overcome with it. He needed her, and he had tried everything to hold onto her, but it didn't stop him wanting more. And now that he had a limited time, it wasn't as easy to resist the urge to kiss her, touch her, show his love through acts that he wouldn't usually dare to do. The desire was burning bright inside him, and despite everything, his body had already decided to give in for what he wanted. What he needed.
His hands grabbed her hips and pulled her against his body, his mouth finding hers as he kissed her hungrily, his lips desperate as they pressed against hers with such urgency that it made Y/N stumble backwards, causing her to grab his shoulders to steady herself. He took advantage of the lack of resistance to press her against the kitchen island and swiping his tongue against her lower lip, asking for entrance, which she granted like he imagined she used to.
Despite the passion, it was still rather snotty and messy and juvenile, but, to be fair, they couldn't help it. They were out of practice, and on Bob's side, he couldn't remember ever kissing anyone this way. It was awkward at best, but it also served as a wonderful distraction, allowing for Bob to forget all about what was to come and focus solely on this beautiful woman that was his. His love for her. That was what mattered most to him right now. He knew it was wrong to let go of the situation so quickly, but they just couldn't wait anymore. Bob needed more. This brief moment of bliss was the closest thing he'd ever got to how they used to be.
When she pulled back, her expression was unreadable as she looked up at him. He smiled as he wiped away her teary eyes and gently brushed some of her hair behind her ear with one finger before cupping her cheek with the other. He could see her eyes flicker across his face as she attempted to make sense of what had just happened.
"Sorry, I..." Y/N mumbled as she looked away, trying to think of something to say that would explain the mess of contradictory thoughts in her head. She retracted herself from him slowly and stood there awkwardly as he looked at her. "I...uh. I need a minute."
And then she was retreating into the spare room, closing the door firmly behind her as she did. Bob let himself slouch against the counter in disappointment, his hand dragging down his face as he sighed heavily. He had expected this outcome, yet he couldn't quite believe that it was actually happening. He was so used to having Y/N by his side, to have someone who understood that he didn't quite understand how to cope without her.
Had he just ruined things? After they'd been rebuilding, had he just fucked it all up? Thrown it all away? No. Of course not. Around half an hour later, Y/N reappeared like nothing had happened and sat beside him on the couch, questioning, "What we watching tonight?" as her butt hit the cushion. Bob gave her a quick glance as if she was crazy before turning back to the screen.
"This architect lady hit her head and is now stuck in a rom com, which is ironic because she says she hates them."
"Hmm... interesting." Y/N chuckled as she leaned back into the corner of the sofa, glancing over at Bob, who was shifting in his seat uncomfortably, looking anywhere but at her. She arched a questioning eyebrow before opening her mouth, only to close it and decide to comfort him physically rather than struggle to get the words out.
Lying down, she opened her arms for him. Hesitating for only a moment, he jumped forward to cuddle up against her, resting his head on her chest and listening to the beating of her heart, Bob's fingers traced random patterns on her arm. She pressed a kiss to his forehead, whispering, "I'm sorry. It was a bit too much all at the same time, y'know? I could've been nicer about it, could've explained, I'm sorry," against his skin.
"No, no, I'm sorry, darlin. I shouldn't have done that. It was a bad moment to choose to do that," Bob apologised, looking into her eyes with guilt etched into every line on his face.
A laugh bubbled out of her throat. "It was a bad moment to choose. You did manage to spook me." She placed her left hand on his cheek, running her thumb slowly across his stubbly jawline and stroking it softly until he relaxed. "But it was worth it. I've missed making out with you, I'll admit."
"Oh yeah?" Bob's face lit up, and he nudged his nose into hers. "Can I?"
Good naturedly, Y/N rolled her eyes as she closed the distance between their mouths. She felt him smile against her lips, his body relaxing and melting into hers. One of his hands rested on the small of her back while hers held his face in place, guiding him closer until he was crowding every single one of her senses, making everything else fade away. His kisses were light yet demanding, full of passion and passion alone. She let herself fall into it completely, letting herself delve deeper into whatever world his soft lips and gentle touches created for her.
Everything else fell away. Nothing else existed besides him and her. Her fingers tangled themselves tightly in his hair, and she tugged lightly on it, eliciting a low moan from him before they broke away briefly for air, leaving him panting and smiling against her cheek. He knew that was as far as they were going to get for today, but that's fine. It was enough progress that he could call it a win. As long as this continued, it could only be a matter of time until they acted like a physically affectionate couple again. But it still felt nice to know that this was finally, after what had felt like a lifetime, possible to make that leap.
Softly, her hand slipped under the hem of his shirt and rubbed up and down his spine comfortingly. Their bodies were aligned perfectly as he leaned his head onto her shoulder, nuzzling into her neck and smiling. These little moments of intimacy reminded her that despite everything, he was still her man, no matter what. She felt him sigh in contentment and knew he was thinking the same thing.
After all, he was a tactile person, she knew that, and holding out on him for so long made her feel like an asshole. It was difficult to navigate. There was this need in her to put the brakes on sometimes because, even though he was Bobby, he was still finding out what sort of things he liked and she never wanted to cross a boundary that she knew previous Bobby would've been fine with only to find out that that wasn't the case anymore.
It was like walking a tightrope. Every single step forward was a risk. And she was scared, so so afraid that the balance could tip at any moment and she would lose her hold on what remained of her sanity and plummet towards the earth below. She wasn't ready to give up her old life with him. It had been a good life. A really really good life. And now, when he was starting to find his feet in new ways, she couldn't ruin it by having a meltdown.
With the way he was looking at her - his eyes big, wide, and filled with hope - she couldn't keep the butterflies out of her stomach any longer. This was her husband, she knew that, but she'd been trying to ignore all of the love he'd been trying to give her. Seeing him here, all cuddled up to her, waiting to take his first steps towards building a future together?
Well, now she couldn't help but melt. She loved him. So much. But was he ready? What if everything changed tomorrow? What if he realised that this version of him wasn't meant to be with her? What if--
"What's your go-to karaoke song, darlin?" Bob asked and gestured towards the scene playing on the screen. She hummed a few times while thinking.
"We always used to do a duet."
"Of?"
"Somethin stupid."
"How does that one go?"
"Don't make me sing it."
"Come on! Please?" Bob pleaded, pouting as he tried to convince Y/N to go along with his request. She smiled gently at him, shaking her head. "Please please please? I'd sing it with you if I knew it."
Cheeks reddening a tinge, Y/N took a breath to try and remember the words to the song. She cleared her throat slightly before beginning to sing. Although her voice started out very timid and almost a bit shaky, the more she sang, the easier it became to get through the lyrics.
🎵I know I stand in line
Until you think you have the time
To spend an evening with me
And if we go someplace to dance
I know that there's a chance
You won't be leaving with me🎵
She blushed harder, a brighter red colour creeping up her cheeks as he listened intently to her sing. She felt a little silly, but he seemed to enjoy her singing anyway, so she didn't mind. His eyes roamed her entire being, and his expression became softer, his smile wider, his ears turning redder as well.
🎵Then afterwards we drop into a quiet little place
And have a drink or two
And then I go and spoil it all
By saying something stupid
Like I love you🎵
If it were possible, Bob's smile grew even dopier. Sure, her voice wasn't the best, but it was the sweetest thing he'd ever heard. Her hand was still rubbing circles against his back, her movements getting slower and slower, the warmth of her touch lingering on every spot. It felt like nothing he ever experienced before, and he wished time stood still just so that they could stay like this forever.
🎵I can see it in your eyes
You still despise the same old lines
You heard the night before
And though it's just a line to you
For me it's true
And never seemed so right before🎵
They used to sing this together, huh, that thought swirled around his mind. He could practically hear them singing, laughing and smiling, the words echoing in the air and making his heart warm with happiness, a contented smile curving across his features. And without having actually experienced it, he missed it.
🎵I practise every day to find some clever
Lines to say
To make the meaning come true
But then I think I'll wait until the evening
Gets late
And I'm alone with you🎵
As she neared the end of the song, Y/N finally got the courage to catch Bob's eye. She could feel his gaze on her, watchful and expectant, and her heart began pounding hard as she looked into those gorgeous blue eyes. The look of utter adoration in his eyes urged her to continue.
🎵The time is right
Your perfume fills my head
The stars get red
And oh the night's so blue
And then I go and spoil it all
By saying something stupid
Like I -🎵
Before she could end the lyrics, however, she found her lips pressed against his, silencing her tune and thoughts immediately. His lips pressed softly against hers, giving her no room to argue or pull away. With a gentle moan escaping her lips, Y/N melted into him, wrapping her arms securely around him and pulling him even closer until he was practically crushing her with the amount of love he held inside his heart for her.
His hands moved to her hair, tangling themselves in her curls as their lips locked in a deep kiss. Their tongues danced against each other, teasing, begging for access to each other's mouths. Y/N could feel Bob's excitement seep into their kiss. "I can see myself getting addicted to this," Bob breathed in between kisses. "You're so addictive."
For the rest of the movie, the pair continued snogging, both of them lost in the moment of their own private world. The movie played on with no interruption from either of the lovers. Even though it was a romantic comedy, the two couldn't bring themselves to care much at that point. All they could focus on was the other. The feelings brewed in their chests, their hearts beating frantically beneath their skin, filling them up with anticipation for what the following month might bring for them.
More progress was made the next day as Y/N had gotten tired of sleeping in the spare room. She was about to lie down and thought, 'actually no, I want to sleep in my own bed tonight'. "Hey Bobby," Y/N spoke into the walkie-talkie. "You awake?"
"Nope. I just nodded off."
That response had become a habit of them both. Although it no longer was funny - and maybe it never was - it was a little nighttime comfort they needed.
"Do you mind if I, uh, stay with you tonight? I'm kind of cold, and I've come to realise that I hate sleeping alone," Y/N asked, biting her lip nervously.
"Really?!?"
"Really."
"Get on in here!"
Giggling like a schoolgirl, Y/N hurried as fast as she could to him. She hadn't realised how excited she was, how badly she wanted to be with him until she was back in their bedroom, and he was opening his arms for her to fall into. In fact, she hadn't been sure she'd be able to last another night away from him.
"Get comfortable, beautiful," he cooed as he pulled Y/N onto his chest. The way he said it so nonchalantly, so casually that she wasn't spooked at all by the sudden contact with his bare torso. He stroked her hair tenderly before placing a soft kiss on her forehead and mumbling, "I can't wait to see your bedhead in the morning," against her hair.
"Shut it, Floyd."
"What? It's the truth! Every day you've got dressed and all prepared by the time I see you. Every single day. Every single goddamn day!" Bob exclaimed while throwing his hands up in faux exasperation. "I wanna see how pretty you are when you wake up, Floyd!"
"Yeah, yeah, lay the flattery on thick, pal." She bit playfully at his shoulder, causing him to groan and push at her head affectionately. As a quick apology, she pressed a kiss to the shallow bite mark she just made, then proceeded to nuzzle into the crook of his neck and fall asleep faster than she had in months. He chuckled to himself, holding her a little tighter against him as he closed his eyes too and fell asleep soon after. Bob was overjoyed to learn that her bed head was huge and unruly in the morning.
Two days later, Y/N went from long pj's to short pj's. Three days after that, shorts and a T-shirt. Then, one of Bob's shirts and shorts. In just over a week, Y/N was back to sleeping in the same bed as her husband wearing basically nothing. Obviously, all that skin to skin contact caused a certain kind of tension between the couple, and Y/N was slowly learning how to let it play out naturally as she enjoyed every second of it. It was steadily growing in intensity each night until she found herself looking forward to waking up in his embrace almost more than any of her dreams.
Awaking with a small whine, Y/N stretched lazily, unknowingly shifting away from Bob. His arm tightened around her waist instinctively in his sleep as he buried his nose further into the back of her head. There was no escape from his arms.They had become almost too comfortable to even try to get out of them.
And, just as it had gone since the Academy, Y/N could feel a very familiar poking directly on her butt. It wasn't an uncomfortable situation, nor was it something she wasn't accustomed to, yet after abstaining for so long, it was more of an effective seduction technique than either of them would've ever guessed. Smiling to herself, she reached behind herself and slowly brushed through Bob's hair to wake him up. He grunted at first, but upon feeling something tickling his scalp and a low hum vibrating in his chest, he opened his eyes and gazed down at her.
"Did I wake you from a nice dream?" she purred as she leant back on his chest and watched him rub his eyes in an attempt to clear his vision. His face immediately turned a few shades pinker at her words.
"Yeah, yeah, it was nice. A real nice dream," Bob admitted shyly, scratching at his neck as he averted his eyes to a random spot on the wall instead of making direct eye contact with her.
"It feels like you had a real nice dream."
"What....oh," he mumbled as the realisation dawned on him. The fabric of their underwear was the only thing stopping him from being inside her. And now that the knowledge was out there, he was getting ready to start apologising profusely, but he only managed a soft, "Oh dear."
Y/N couldn't hold back her laughter. She was completely overcome with amusement as Bob tried desperately to keep a straight face despite the obvious awkwardness the situation brought forth. Eventually, after many failed attempts at hiding a smile, he was unable to keep the corners of his mouth from lifting upwards.
"Oh, so you think this is funny, huh?" he teased, squeezing her closer against him and pressing his lips to her shoulder. Her giggles filled his ears instantly, sending warm waves of satisfaction through him. "You think my boner is funny, do ya?!"
He began to move his hips slowly, pushing his pelvis against her butt in slow circles, his hands playfully squidging her waist. He felt her tense underneath him, but she soon softened and rolled her head back onto his shoulder. This only seemed to spur him on further as his fingers started tracing patterns across the skin of her stomach, leaving light trails of ticklish sensation where his touches landed.
"Bobby, I..."
Instantly, he went to back away from her, but Y/N was quick to catch his arm and bring it back towards her body. As she did so, her fingers curled around his wrist as she kept her grip firm, ensuring he didn't slip away from her again. Y/N guided his hand to rest on the hem of her underwear and let go. If he wanted to go further, they would. If he wanted to stop, well then, that was okay too. She was more than willing to give whatever he wanted or needed. "Bobby, if you wanna touch, you can," Y/N asked, peering over her shoulder for his reaction. "Do you wanna touch me?"
"Fuck, yeah, I do. Really do," Bob replied breathlessly, a huge grin spread across his face as his fingers breached beneath the elastic of her panties, slipping their way in through the fabric and lightly grazing her hot flesh. As he touched her, she moaned softly, and he knew that was all the confirmation that he needed to hear to continue his exploration.
Each drag of his finger across Y/N's skin elicited some sort of noise from her lips, which she was sure Bob didn't miss. His fingers were experimental but gentle as they travelled across her skin. And each noise she made urged him to take his hand more firmly and press harder, to make her cry out louder.
"Hey, hey, no biting that lip, okay?" He quickly unhooked her bottom lip from her front teeth with the pad of his thumb. "I need to hear every pretty little sound that comes out of your mouth, baby. You have to stop trying to muffle it."
"Okay."
"Let it all out for me?" His voice was smooth as silk as he traced one finger around her entrance, then slid in and out slowly, giving her ample time to push him away if she needed to. She didn't need to. She didn't want to. In fact, she welcomed everything about him: his caress, the teasing touches of his fingers, the heat and the pressure of his body against hers, his husky deep tones calling for her attention. She craved it.
When he finally decided to thrust two fingers inside her, she let out a moan. It was a loud, guttural sound that vibrated the walls of their apartment and sent shivers down Bob's spine. It sounded so fucking sexy in the quiet of the morning. It sounded so sweet and needy that Bob just couldn't resist teasing her about it.
"You like my fingers, yeah? They're pretty big, aren't they? So tough...so big..." Bob whispered in Y/N's ear. He leaned in close to her, kissing along her jawline. His tongue licked up one side of her neck before sucking hard enough to leave a mark. "Is that why you're always messing with them? You're just waiting for the moment I wise up and use them to mess with your sweet pussy instead?"
Although it had begun as a way to keep herself focused during classes, yeah, that was a recurring thought process for Y/N. His hands were bigger than hers – by a long shot – firmer, and despite their rigorous worklife, she always bought him fancy fruity smelling hand cream so his skin wasn't like sandpaper. His touch demanded her attention. It made it hard for her not to lean back and just melt against him.
"Darlin, am I talking to myself here?" he demanded and slowed his movements so she'd gather some stability in order to give him an answer. "You gotta tell me if you like what I'm doing. Am I a quick learner?"
She took in a shaky breath. "You're a very quick learner." Y/N huffed out a weak laugh as Bob continued to pump himself inside of her, her hand grasping at his forearm tight. The look of excitement in his eyes was infectious; she found herself letting out small chuckles every time his fingers moved faster. "Been missing this, been missing how good we make each other feel." She craned her head back to peer up at him, a wide grin spreading across her features and shining against her face as she bumped her nose into his. "Do you feel how wet I am?"
"Sweet thing, I can hear it." He smiled as his lips grazed her cheekbone and lingered there, his arm that had been underneath her waist and was starting to become numb came slid under the thin fabric of the tank top she'd been wearing and ran the tips of his fingers along the length of her ribs. "Can I see you? Can I finally know you look like behind this tiny fucking top?"
If that's what he wanted. Y/N kicked away the duvet that was hardly covering them anymore and waited for Bob to let her have enough space to throw her top off. She tossed it aside without a care. His gaze flickered between her face and her chest, following the path of her naked curves as her breasts moved ever so slightly with every exhalation of air.
Abruptly, he scooted away on the other side of the bed and got to his knees. Y/N followed his every movement, watching his broad shoulders rise and fall with every movement he took. She could've sworn he looked nervous for a brief moment - who wouldn't be? it was almost as if he was about to lose his virginity all over again - yet it was such a contrast to how he'd just been acting.
"You okay?"
"Just trying to get a full picture." He held up his forefinger and thumb on both hands like he was getting the mental framing of her body absolutely perfect for future reference. To top it off, Bob even made fake camera clicking noises to complete his illusion. She couldn't help but laugh. He had never once taken her seriously in these sorts of situations. It was kind of endearing.
"You're such a loser, Robert," Y/N teased.
"I must be. You just called me Robert."
"Yeah, cause we're having a sexy moment and now you're making camera noises."
With deliberately slowness and sensuality, Y/N slid her underwear down her thighs, taking her time to strip them completely off and toss the piece away. Her fingers danced back up her legs until she reached her hips, and she would've put on more of a show if Bob hadn't given in already. Bob crawled over to her without a second thought, soon hovering over her and dipping down to capture her lips with his own. Their kiss was sloppy, messy, desperate and needy all at once, filled with longing and lustful frustration.
"Am I allowed...Can I- Am I allowed to go further or would you get weirded out? I can go cool down in the shower -"
All of Bob's mutterings were drowned out when Y/N kissed her way down his neck, stopping at his pulse point and licking at the salty sweat coating his skin. He sucked in a gasp, his hands coming up to rest on her lower back to steady her. The sensation made him shudder. God, he'd wanted this for weeks now but never dared to think that it might actually happen. He wanted her. He wanted her so bad.
But that didn't mean that he wasn't worried. Worried that maybe Y/N wasn't ready for what was happening between them. Maybe she didn't feel comfortable enough being physically intimate with him after all this time. Bob tried to swallow past the lump in his throat, yet Y/N knew he was worrying - she always had a sixth sense for this kind of thing - and gently cupped the back of his head to tilt it back and plant a gentle kiss onto his forehead.
"Do you want to stop? It's okay. We don't have to do anything right now if you don't want to," Y/N said, leaning forward to peck a quick kiss onto Bob's lips. "We can just cuddle if you'd prefer, hold hands, talk, read..."
"No," he cut in, his hand moving up and down Y/N's arm slowly in soothing strokes that somehow managed to be soft and firm at the same time. "I, uh, maybe you should think about if you want...if once we're, you know, done, you're going to be alright with us...you know, this... fingers are one thing, but my dick, I don't know, that's, like, overwhelming."
"Your dick is overwhelming, is that what you’re saying?" she deadpanned, her facade barely even there.
Groaning in embarrassment, he pushed his face into her neck, hiding himself from view. "Not in that way. You know what I mean." She began carding her fingers through his hair. When he lifted his head again, she pressed a lingering kiss to the tip of his nose and watched a faint smile appear on his face. "You know exactly what I meant."
"Bobby, I kinda guessed this would happen when I woke you up this morning. I'm ready to be overwhelmed by your dick." A wicked smirk curled up the corners of her mouth as she stared up at him. He gave her a crooked smile of his own and pulled her closer to press his lips firmly against hers, his hips grinding down in haphazard circles. "Take your boxers off."
"Yes ma'am."
In a flash, Bob had flung his underwear somewhere in their bedroom and was kneeling on the bed between her legs, his hand grasping onto her thighs and pulling her toward him. And despite the fact it was torturous to do so, Bob still took his cock into his palm and teased his head along her folds. "Put your cock in me."
"Say, please."
Y/N rolled her eyes, unable to believe the audacity of this man in front of her. Any idea that he was nervous had been thrown out the window. Honestly, it was nice that he hadn't reverted to the shy and awkward guy that she'd first got together with. Nevertheless, she did as he asked. "Please, baby. Please put your cock in me."
The look in his eye when he glanced down at her was so hot it left her breathless. There was this hunger inside of him, an unquenchable fire that she could no longer deny. And who was he to deny such a request? He could do nothing else but comply with Y/N's wishes. As soon as she spoke those words, all thoughts and reservations vanished from his mind, so, with an eager nod, Bob positioned his cock at her entrance, and began to slide himself into her wet heat.
Immediately, Y/N grabbed hold of his upper arms, bringing him close so that she could lock her legs around his waist, holding him deep within her. Bob bit his lip so hard he feared that it may bleed, but it was all worth it to watch her like this, the look on her face so pure and honest it took his breath away. "Oh god..."
"Give me a second," she urged. "I'm out of practice." She closed her eyes shut and breathed deeply before allowing herself to relax into Bob as much as her body was willing to let her. It felt good to be able to finally let the burden lift from her shoulders and give him her all.
With his hands comfortingly sliding up and down her waist, it didn't take long for her to adjust to the sensations of being stretched and filled and stretched some more. The friction of his palms, the warmth of his chest against her own, and the light tickle of stubble on his chin as he kept kissing her neck, shoulder and collarbone brought a shiver up her spine.
"Attaboy." Her words were accompanied by a small smack to his ass that earned a chuckle from him. Then, her tone turned husky as Y/N teased, "I've adjusted to your overwhelmingly big dick, Lieutenant. Feel free to move whenever you're ready."
Honestly, Bob was out of practice, too. Although, he couldn't remember a time when he was in practice. Whatever the case, he was glad they'd taken a quick breather since she felt so, so good and he didn't want to cum immediately. That would've been so anticlimactic in every sense of the word. "Whenever I'm ready? I've been waiting for you," he jeered back, his fingers tightening on her hips as he rolled his hips to hit a spot deeper inside of her. A whimper escaped her lips and she arched upwards into him, one of her hands gripping onto his biceps. "God, that was a pretty noise..."
He trailed off when she started a teasing, sloppy line of kisses down his neck, biting into his skin softly and leaving behind little marks of pleasure everywhere he went. He moaned low with each slow thrust of his hips. While every single stroke of her hand across his back only made him harder. And fuck, he loved it. It was like a drug, something that made every single cell in his body sing and dance and hum with delight; that feeling of satisfaction, the rush of adrenaline that coursed through him.
Although adrenaline has its limits. As their loving embrace upped in pace as they neared the finish line, all of a sudden Bob stopped with a groan and let all his weight fall on top of Y/N. He didn't cum, she would've felt that. Yet, he cleared up any confusion with a mumble of, "Fuuuck, thigh cramp.
Whispering comforting words in his ear, Y/N massaged his thigh to the best of her ability whilst Bob buried his nose in the crook of her neck. "It's okay," she comforted. "Just relax, pretty boy." They laid like that for a while. They laid there until he could feel his muscle stop aching, and Y/N slowly helped him sit up against the headboard.
Disgruntled, he let out a quiet sigh while running a hand down his face. "Sorry I ruined, uh, this. The mood, whatever..."
"I don't know about you, but I'm still in the mood." She perched on his lap, each knee on either side of his hips. He smiled as she leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I'm happy to do the work if you wanna continue." His answer was to lean forward and attach his lips to her chest, kissing, sucking and nipping at any place or area he pleased until he finally pulled away, looked up at her, and nodded. So, with his permission, she guided the head of his cock to her entrance once again and sank down on it. "Enjoy the show, yeah? You don't need to do anything else."
"Yeah," he breathed as she began to bounce up and down on his cock, taking him all in while she held his face in her hands and kissed him, his tongue stroking hers lazily, as his hands roamed across her back, caressing every curve and dip, every inch of skin he found. His fingers worked feverishly, kneading at her flesh in just the right places to elicit soft moans from the depths of her throat.
It felt like an eternity. An eternity he never wanted to end. The feel of her slick walls enveloping him, the way her muscles contracted around his length, and the sounds of her cries of joy, as she rode him with passion, made the room spin. All the while, he felt her hand moving rhythmically over his face, cupping his cheek with gentle strokes. He was in heaven. He was in paradise. He was so lost in her beauty that he barely realised the knot in his stomach was about to snap until it was too late.
"Keep going, keep, oh fuck, you haven't...keep going until you cum," he begged, his voice hoarse with lust. His eyes were half opened, his cheeks flushed pink with exertion, and the muscles in his abdomen tensed every which way as he fought to deal with how overstimulated he was becoming. To help her along, he quickly found her clit to circle his thumb over, causing her to throw her head back in pleasure and her chest further into his face. "Come on, darlin'. I can tell that you're really close, baby," he encouraged, watching her face scrunch up in pleasure as her orgasm came crashing down upon her.
Bob came to the conclusion that a month of this wasn't enough, but since that was their timer for now, he was going to savour every single moment. And he was going to make sure there were a lot of fucking moments.
Next Chapter: Service With A Smile
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I made a wav of chapter 1 of my Vox sickfic! This doesn't include the narration: fic linked here or you can keep reading for the fic copied under the cut. I added a slight robot voice effect to the sneezes and coughs, plus there's the sound of Vox's fans (which is the real sound of my laptop fan lmao) - let me know if you'd like to hear a version without these effects.
If there's enough interest I might do more chapters. The main limitation is I don't sneeze a lot even with inducing - these sneezes are compiled from like 5 different sessions smh. (So if a wav where I don't actually include the sneezes, or I reuse sneeze audio I've used before, is of interest to you then definitely let me know cause doing the voices is fun)
“Why are the lights so fucking bright in here? Are you trying to give me a headache?” Vox was often a bit of an insufferable prick, but today he was far worse than usual. His interview for Voxtech Angelic Security was just an hour away and he’d already managed to insult pretty much everyone in the room. The lights dimmed, he returned to a previous complaint. “And why haven’t you turned the AC colder already? It’s like a sauna in here!”
“The AC is already as cold as it goes, sir.”
“Then fix it! God, what am I even paying you for?” He paused, then pulled out his cell phone. “Hey Val, are you free right now? I got an employee I’d like you to knock some sense into—or rip the limbs off of, whichever you prefer. I could do it myself, but I know how much you enjoy that thing.”The employee shuddered. “Great, thanks! See you soon.”
Vox looked around. “Where is my water bottle? There should be one on the interviewing desk. Is anyone around here doing their goddamn job?” Another employee rushed over with a water bottle. “Finally.” He took a sip and immediately grimaced. “Where did you get this? Normal water doesn’t scrape my throat like that! Disgusting.” He threw the water bottle aside, pausing only to make sure the lid was on first.
He took a deep breath, which immediately triggered a coughing fit, his voice crackling like a broken speaker. His screen went grey and fuzzy, static flaring with each cough. “Who did the last maintenance on the filtration system?” A sheepish woman stepped forward. “Fix it! Actually, no. Get out. You’re fired. The air is so thick in here I can hardly breathe.” She hung her head and wandered off. It wasn’t like she was the first to be fired on a whim, and at least Vox didn’t literally tear people apart. “I’ll take a look at it along with the AC, then, sir,” the employee from earlier offered.
“You’d better. But don’t think that’s enough to save you,” Vox said, standing so close the employee could hardly hear anything over the fan. “Val’s still on his way.” The employee gulped.
Valentino began shivering the moment he stepped in the door, but he ignored that and made a beeline for Vox. “Where’s the victim?” he asked with a grin.
Vox pointed to the man cowering in the corner. “He won’t fix the AC.” Val nodded, still shivering. “He says it’s already as cold as it can go, but I’m boiling here!” Val raised an eyebrow at that. A loud whirring started as Vox’s fans kicked in.
Val put a hand on Vox’s forehead, and jerked it away almost immediately. “Amorcito, you’re incredibly hot!”
“Save it for later, Val,” Vox chuckled.
“No, I mean it’s hard to believe how much you’re overheating. And in a freezing room, no less. I thought my hand was going to burn!” Vox crossed his arms and shook his head. “I mean it, Vox, you’re obviously running a fever!”
“Shut up. I’m fi… hi…” his screen flickered with each hitch. “Hi’tzzzcht! Fine.”
“Sir?” The employee raised a finger tentatively, regaining some boldness now that neither of them was ripping him apart. “One of the lights just broke.”
“Why the fuck are you telling me? Just fix it! Ugh, it’s a wonder anything gets done around here.” He gave a long sniff, trying to stave off the buzzing tickle. “And send a cleaning crew in. It’s way too du… huh… huh… hut’TZZZZSHT! Dusty in here.”
“We just cleaned yesterday…” the employee said weakly, trying not to look at the speaker that had just popped.
“I didn’t ask you when the last cleaning was, I asked you to clean the damn studio! Now get on with it before I change my mind and let Val rip your arms off.”
“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.” The employee practically ran off to begin his tasks as Val gave a toothy grin, looking menacing despite the intense shivering.
“There you go. I’ll be back here for the sound check. And this place better be fucking spotless.”
Vox and Val walked out the door. “I’ll catch you at the penthouse,” Vox said, activating his teleportation powers. He only made it a few feet. “Hhh’dzzzzcht!” The hallway lights flickered.
“How about we walk together?” Val offered, wrapping his arm around Vox. Vox sighed, but it wasn’t like he had a choice. Repeatedly teleporting a few feet at a time sounded even more annoying than walking. While they walked, Val pulled out his phone with his free hand to text Velvette. “Meet at the penthouse ASAP.”
Velvette almost dropped her phone when she saw the pair of them walk through the door. “Walk” was actually a bit of an overstatement. Vox was practically staggering, leaning heavily on Val for support. His screen was dimmed, except for a bright spot in the center where his nose would be, if he had one. His fans were still whirring loudly. His normally immaculate suit was wrinkled, as if he’d crumpled in on himself repeatedly. The man was, quite obviously, a mess.
Velvette stared in silence for a moment. “Wow. He really does look awful, doesn’t he?”
Vox glared. “I’m fine. I’m just taking a quick break before the studio’s ready for my interview. Those morons still have a lot to set up.” The pair stared at him.
“Um, Vox? You sure now is the best time for an interview?” Velvette asked.
“I’m fine,” he insisted, his hypnotic eye swirling so slowly it might as well be a broken Ferris wheel.
“Right,” Velvette said, rolling her eyes as Vox’s screen flickered again. “Totally fine, and definitely not about to sneeze.”
“I’m not going to… hih’tzzzzch!” He opened his mouth to protest more, but no sound came out. Damn it, were his audio drivers glitching too? Or was it just his vocal cords? He smacked the side of his head with a grimace. “The interview has to be today. If I delay it, it’ll look like we’re hiding something.” Thank god that worked. Vox without his voice was… well, he really didn’t want to think about that.
Velvette raised an eyebrow. “You literally just smacked yourself in the head cause you couldn’t talk. You really think you’re in a good state to be giving an interview?”
Vox’s screen brightened for a moment. “I’m fine! It’s fixed now.” His screen dimmed again, then started flickering. “I’m perfectly heal… heh… hhh… healthy! Just let me go to the godda… ehh… ahh… hah’TZZZZSHT! The goddamn interview.” Valentino’s phone instantly shut off. Velvette, seeing this, clutched her phone tightly to her chest.
Val tried turning his phone back on, but it was unresponsive. “You broke my phone, Vox. You broke my fucking phone! What else are you gonna break if you go back in there?”
Vox frowned. Loath as he was to admit illness, it really was in his best interest to minimize property damage. Especially with a live audience.
“I’ll do the interview,” Velvette offered.
Vox gave a laugh that quickly turned into a coughing fit, his screen a sputtering mess of static again. “No offense, Velvette, but I’m pretty sure you’re not familiar with the ins and outs of the system.”
“And I’m pretty sure you’re not recognizing you don’t have a lot of options. Would you rather send Valentino?”
The other two recoiled at the suggestion. “God, no!” Vox replied. “Ugh, I guess if you really want to, go knock yourself out. My notes are on that tah… hhh… ahh… hah… hah’TDZZZCHT! Tablet.” Said tablet was now stuck in bluescreen. “Shit.” He rubbed his aching head, trying to think.
“Are the notes backed up like the rest of your files?” Vox nodded, not even trying to speak this time. “I can pull it up on my phone, then. I’ve got this. Backbone of the Vees, remember? You just stay here and get some rest,” she said, blowing a kiss as she left.
Velvette strutted out the door, taking with her the responsibility that had been keeping Vox together, and it was like a switch had been flipped. Vox immediately plopped himself down on the couch, limbs dangling limply. “Everything huuuurts, Val.”
“I know, Amorcito, that’s why I’m here.” He gently stroked Vox’s arm. “Now, is it really everything? Or can you be a bit more specific so I can actually help you?”
Vox’s mouth moved, but no words. A frown. A throat clearing sound. More mouth movement, still no words. A deeper frown. A self-inflicted smack on the side of the head. Still no words. The fans kicked into high gear as Vox was about to spit steam out of his head.
“Shh, gentle, Voxy. Let’s try not to blow out the power grid again, hm?” Val patted Vox’s screen. “I’ll get you something for your throat.” He searched through the fridge for some Gatorade. Electrolytes had to do something for an electric being, right? In the absence of any speech from Vox, the fans were even more noticeable. Better grab a cold compress from the freezer too, then. He placed the cold pack on Vox’s screen and handed him the bottle. Vox took a sip and shook his head. His voice still failing him, Vox made images appear on the screen. Val blinked, trying to figure out what he was looking at.
“Something wrong with the drink?” A nod. “Tastes bad?” Head shake. Val tried to think what could possibly be wrong with a drink. “Too liquidy?” Vox rolled his eyes. “Wrong color?” A facepalm. “Uh… too cold?” Vigorous nodding, and then a wince and a dizzy expression. “I got it. Just rest here, Vox. I’ll find you something.”
Val returned a few minutes later with a steaming mug of tea. Vox’s screen was dim and pale, the colors washed out. His weak fingers could barely grasp the handle of the mug. “Oh, Voxy, you poor thing,” Val said, his wings wrapping around Vox for support. The steam from the drink got into Vox’s vents and his screen started flickering. Val noticed immediately and set the mug on a nearby table, holding Vox through the buildup.
“Hhh… hhhh… hhh… hhht’dzchhht! Hhhh’zzzzch! Hhh’ZZZZZSHT! Htchh’RRRRGZZZZZZT! Ugh.” The demon clawed at his throat, then paused in realization. “Fucking hell that hurt!” He winced. “Talking hurts.” Still, better to have a functioning voice, he supposed. He gestured to the mug, and Valentino handed it to him. He took a sip, grimaced, and then finished the rest of the mug in one gulp. Val surveyed the room and realized that a few of the TV screens were out. “Let’s get you into bed, hm?” Vox raised an eyebrow. “Not like that! Unless you want to, of course…” he added, licking his lips. Vox shook his head, exhausted. Val led Vox to the bedroom, the TV clinging hard to the moth as he took a few shaky steps. Val paused, then nodded to himself. He hoisted Vox over his shoulder, ignoring the spluttering protests. “Amorcito, you can barely walk. Let me carry you for a bit.”
Vox huffed, and Val felt the static shock. “You could at least have the decency to carry me like your partner instead of, I don’t know, a corpse?”
Val chuckled. “Have you seen yourself, darling? You practically are a corpse at this point.” Still, he switched to bridal carry.
After what felt like an eternity, dragged out by Vox’s complaining that he was on death’s door, they finally reached the bed. Val laid Vox down and sat next to him. “Now then, does everything still hurt? What can I get you?”Vox’s lips moved silently, then rapidly into what Val assumed to be a string of curse words. Hard to tell without audio. Val sighed. “You really are feeling awful, aren’t you?” Vox nodded. Val stared at Vox for a while until the moth’s singular brain cell finally came up with an idea. He blew a puff of smoke in Vox’s face. Vox flinched, and his screen flickered rapidly. “Hhh… hih… hhhh’dzzzzzzcht! Hih’tzzzzsh! Hah’TZZZZZCHT! TZZZSH! Tzzzsch’TZZZZZST’dzTZZZZZSSHHT! What the fuck, Val?” He rubbed his throat. “Oh. Uh… thanks, I guess? I don’t know. That fucking sucked.”
“If you’d rather not repeat that, then I suggest you get your words out now before you lose your voice again.”
Vox scowled, but he knew it was a valid point. “I just… I’m sore all over. It’s not fair! What did I do to deserve this?” Val raised a finger. “Besides everything that got me into hell.” Val shrugged. “Ugh… my throat hurts, my head hurts, all my muscles ache, there’s this constant buzzing in the back of my head that won’t go away, everythig is blisterigly warmb whatever I try… oh for fugck’s sake, I get congestiod dnow too? Ughhhh…” He groaned and rolled over, faceplanting into the bed.
Val tutted sympathetically. “You never do anything half-assed, do you?” Vox nodded, dragging his screen across the blanket. “Vox, if you’re feeling so warm, why are you still wearing all those clothes?” A pause. Vox wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “There’s no image you need to keep up right now, Vox. Let’s get you comfortable.” Vox sat up and let Val get to work. The crumpled suit was set on a nearby chair. The sweater and shirt were pulled off and tossed to the same chair, Vox dropping his arms instantly the moment he no longer needed to put in the energy to keep them up. The shoes were removed and the pants taken off and folded up with care. As soon as it was done, Vox collapsed face down into the bed again, breathing heavily from the effort.
“You said you’re sore all over, would you like a massage, Amorcito?” A thumbs up. Val got up to find the massage bar. They’d found that using a more solid form helped avoid any accidents… they did NOT need a repeat of the time poor Vox got massage oil stuck in his vents. Val began massaging Vox’s arms, but paused when he felt Vox’s shoulders shudder.
“Hhhh’dzzzzzzchmp!” The sound was muffled into the bed. Vox slowly dragged himself up until he was facing Val. “Hit’chZZZZZZZCHT!” Sparks flew from Vox’s screen and landed on Val’s arm.
“Keep your sparks to yourself, Vox!” he said, wincing at the static shock. “Hmm… that might explain the electronics failures…”
“Sorry, Val.” He said, rubbing his screen. “Wasd’t expectig it to comb that fast.” He gave a long sniff. “Hhhhh’dZZZZZZT!” He pointed at the massage bar. “Can you put that away? I think the scent is too strong right now, my sensors must be acting up.”
Val switched to an unscented massage bar and resumed the massage. A few soft moans from Vox let Val know that his attempts were effective. Eventually the sound dropped off entirely, except for the occasional sneeze, which Val assumed meant the video demon’s voice had given out again. After a while, there was no sound at all except for congested breathing. Val gently turned Vox on his back, revealing closed eyes. Val breathed a sigh of relief. The man was much less exhausting when he was unconscious. Maybe now both of them could get some rest.
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writing-for-life · 4 months
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Thank you for an amazing 2023!
About metas, fics and sparkly things…
This won’t be short, but you wouldn’t expect that from me, would you? 🤣
I’ve been on Tumblr for just a bit over a year because I needed to get off my family’s back after my three decades long Sandman brain-rot got worse again due to the Netflix series. I hovered around a handful of followers for months until things exploded (I still don’t know why tbh, I think it was one particular meta that kicked things off a bit), and I somehow ended up with hundreds of followers, which might not be much to some, but it’s a lot for me.
So to all of you I’d like to say: Thank you for being here. I don’t always manage to stay on top of things because my notifs are a mess and I lose track, plus I have a rather busy life and can often only write in batches and then queue, but each of you is appreciated, even if I accidentally forget to get back to you or if we aren’t mutuals.
I’ve made such lovely connections over the last year—my interest in The Sandman definitely does not align with the main focus that shan’t be named, and I’m glad that you folks are out there. You probably know who you are.
Now to the obligatory “your posts wrapped” thing—and I’m only doing it because I need to make a point (of course I do 🤣).
News and art
My by far most successful posts have been casting/shooting news and pretty pictures (two examples are linked). And I’m grateful for all the reblogs and likes of those, but apart from curating them, they’re not really me. They’re someone else’s work.
Meta analysis
Then you have my metas, which make up the bulk of the other posts that are doing quite well (you can find all of them in my pinned post).
Even if it wasn’t my most “successful” one (what does that even mean?), this one meant the most to me:
I love writing metas, whether they cover literary concepts, psychology, music or art because I’m a permanently brain-frazzled multi-hyphenate who has to talk about everything that won’t leave her alone.
I also love when you’re sending me asks btw. For the latter, I hope they pick up again in 2024 because they really nosedived since I switched off anonymous asks (which I won’t change, soz) after some people just thought it’s good sport to be an arse about my not being here to pray at the altar of the ship. I guess we have briefly covered the ugly side of Tumblr, too, then.
Writing
But what I'm most proud of when I think of all the things I've done in 2023 is my fiction and poetry. And that's both a happy and slightly sad thing to address.
My 31 Haikus for Sandtober started as a bit of fun, but they’ve developed a life of their own, and people seemingly liked them. The post also contains a bit of my fan-art:
I still intend to turn them into a hardcover at some point, but I won’t be able to create all the artwork myself, so if you’re a fan-artist and want to know what I’m thinking of, please get in touch (I’ll still talk about this in more detail at some point though).
The other thing I’m incredibly proud of is “The Light of Stars”.
I started it as a NaNoWriMo project in 2022 (I always use NaNo to do something that is less stressful than my professional writing projects), wrote it in a bit more than a month—and then did nothing with near 80,000 words until June 2023.
And then I thought “Fuck it,” and published it on Ao3. It’s a canon x OC fic, and this is where it gets a bit sad. Because for most of us writers, these are never the posts that get most engagement (the ratio is really something like 100 : 1 — 500 for a shitpost, 5 for an average writing post).
On Ao3, it gradually picked up because I published chapter after chapter, and I think I can say that it’s done fairly well over there in terms of engagement for an OC fic, and above all how people engage with it. Because it’s a bit deeper despite being romance, it deals with heavy topics like grief, and I’m so glad to have touched a few people’s hearts with it, and that it was meaningful to them. So much so that you all convinced me to write a sequel.
But here’s the thing: The general engagement with writing, especially non-explicit, non-ship, non-readerY/N on Tumblr is very, very low.
Writers who write canon x OC are still struggling to be heard through the noise (it’s not just me, I’ve had many conversations about this, so I’ll just say: I’ll speak for many of us). There are basically hardly any events for us to participate in (most of us only ever do so if we shift to canon one-shots, poetry or metas. If we don’t: Again, no one cares), and fandom often actively chooses to ignore us because “all OCs are self-inserts, ew.” Which is patently not true, and I could go on a long rant now why many canon x canon fics are very obvious self-inserts, which I won’t.
But even if all OCs were self-inserts, even if all characters were—so what? All writing is to a degree based on self-insertion because it comes from our brains—it’s not a bad thing. But apparently, it becomes a bad thing if the character is an OC, heaven knows why.
So if I had one wish (I’m allowed one, right?) for 2024, it would be that people engage more with OC fics and include them more in community events. That fandom, which prides itself in community, includes writers who don’t write for (the main) ship/s a bit more, especially if they don’t write smut (which I personally even do professionally, but I don’t want to have to do it in fanfic just to get engagement). I’m not holding my breath because I know that’s not where fandom’s oft single-minded focus lies, but a girl can dream, right?
And with that, I want to get to my proudest accomplishments of them all:
Being the curator queen of the sparkle realms:
Being one (arguably the main) instigator of the maddest crack ship that has ever graced (?) the face of the earth, spawned the most unhinged discussion (much truth in it though 🤣) and even NSFW fanart. I promise I’ll write that fic about Murphy and his Cool Hat:
Have a lovely 2024!
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monamourbladie · 8 months
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The Man of My Dreams - Blade x Reader (chapter 5)
Who said that the man of your dreams couldn’t be real? After having dreams of the same mystery man for 2 weeks straight, the reader sets off on a journey to find the mystery man known as “Blade” that had been occupying her mind every single night. After realizing that he might actually be a real person, and not just a man she made up, she will finally discover parts of her past that had been long forgotten and locked away. (Originally posted on AO3, which can be read here. Also posted on Wattpad, which is here.)
Chapters Masterlist
warnings: slow burn, slight enemies to lovers themes, fluff, HEAVY angst throughout the entire story (not kidding.), soulmates, memory loss, mutual pining, eventual smut, pwp, renheng themes
Tag List: (@ me to be added) @kimura-uzuri
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Against his better judgment, Blade had decided to follow Kafka secretly. He kept a far enough distance from her that she was completely oblivious to him being there, and was able to refrain from accidentally interfering with things he shouldn't be. He truly didn't understand what the point of giving herself up to the Divination Commission was. To him, it was unnecessary and unbelievably risky. Plus, how was he supposed to know for certain what the "signal" was?
Eventually, he found a perch to remain at and watch the events conspire at a distance. He kept his blade close to him to remain cautious as he watched over her. A group of people walked up towards Kafka, all of them looking agitated. He was too far to understand what anyone was saying, so he sat and waited to make sure Kafka was alright.
He noticed her start to pull out her guns, and the other people followed suit, and Blade began to feel worry bubble up inside of him. He gripped his sword tightly and he felt a strong surge of the mara well up inside him, causing him to groan and clutch his head. "*F-Fuck...* Not... not now," he growled, forcing his body to overthrow it. Usually, Kafka was right there to soothe the mara, but he was on his own this time. Thankfully, the anger subsided within him quickly when a woman with bright pink hair appeared literally from the sky and descended onto the group. He watched as she magically created handcuffs for Kafka, and just like that, they were escorted out. However, one woman remained.
A harsh breeze picked up and flew past Blade. A few flowers from the sparse grassy areas were picked up from the wind and flew past him - noticeably, a spider lily. He let out a soft chuckle seeing one landing at his feet. "I can't seem to escape these, can I?" he muttered to himself. He took it in his hand, and flung it into the air - the wind picking it up and blowing it towards the woman. Blade's eyes widened when she noticed the lily and picked it up, and started to look around. "Shit..." he grumbled, grabbing his sword once again. It was definitely past the time to go...
As if things couldn't get any worse, he was spotted. She had examined the lily and then looked up in his direction - and from the distance he was at, he still managed to feel their eye contact from across the zone. He wished he could've seen who she was in greater detail, but even from the distance they were separated, he felt as if she looked familiar.
Could she be...? No. No way. Blade shook his head and fled, retreating to the small hideout Kafka had picked out for the pair. Once he returned, he glanced at his phone to check the time. It was around 6 pm by now, and the sun was beginning to set on the Luofu. He entered the abandoned campsite that Kafka had chosen for them and sat inside one of the tents, keeping the drapes open to allow light to enter into the small space. He set his blade down beside him and sent a message to Silver Wolf.
B: Kafka has been taken. The next phase has begun. I'll be awaiting her signal to move in and retrieve her.
After about 10 minutes, Silver Wolf finally decided to reply.
SW:  mb was in a comp match
elio said itll happen around 2 am better set an alarm
B: Thanks for the warning.
He set an alarm on his phone for one in the morning, giving him an hour to prepare and journey to wherever the Commission. Seeing as there was nothing else for him to do, he decided to meditate to clear his mind. It was something trivial that hardly worked for him as the years went by, but he still held out hope that clearing his mind would eventually find him peace. However this time, he simply ended up falling asleep. Instead of falling into a dream like usual, he was being shown a memory of his, long forgotten and tucked away.
People were screaming and yelling all around him. A terrible fight had broken out within the palace of the High-Cloud Quintet. Mara-struck soldiers had invaded the palace walls, and the Quintet alongside himself and another woman were currently trying to fend them off. "Yingxing! You must get out of here!" A woman called out to him. Blade looked around confused. The sound of his old name - his previous life - never failed to make his blood boil. Only this time, he was only filled with anxiety and a sense of need to preserve his life...
"I'm not leaving. I'm fighting and staying to protect you all!" he replied, looking at the woman. Jingliu. It had been so long since he had seen her face... Blade wanted to rush forward and thrust his sword into her throat for the pain and suffering he caused her, but he couldn't. He wasn't in control of his body. He was simply a bystander as the memory took full control, replaying everything down to the smallest details. Certain parts were foggy, of course - and that was due to the Mara having invaded all his memories.
"Then you better use that sword and fight like hell, Yingxing," she replied with a smirk. "Yingxing!" Another female voice called out. Yingxing turned around and saw a woman rushing towards him. She was a Vidyadharian, he could tell by her small white horns. Any other identifiable features were covered by her hair, or darkened by the shadows that he could not place exactly who the woman was. She rushed forward and enveloped him in a tight hug. "What the hell are you doing here, sweetheart? You have to go, it's not at all safe for you!" she said, visibly shaken. Sweetheart... huh?
"I'm not leaving without you," he replied sternly, resting his hand on her cheek. He was frustrated that he could not figure out who this woman was. This was a new memory he hadn't thought of in a long, long time... She let out a soft laugh as she leaned into his touch, "Damn you for being such a stubborn man... you know that?" she murmured. Yingxing grinned at her and kissed her forehead gently. "You know it. Got a weapon?" the woman pulled away from him and grabbed her spear from behind her, nodding at him. "Let's kill these fuckers."
The two began to engage in the battle with the rest of their friends, working as hard as they could to fight off the seemingly never-ending Mara-struck army that kept invading the palace. Soon, it seemed as if the battle was almost won as the mara-struck armies slowed down, looking scattered compared to how many there were beforehand. Finally, there were only a handful left, and they would've won the attack.
Yingxing and the unnamed woman fought side by side until the last one fell near them. The Vidyadharian woman thrust her spear into the heart of a soldier, and he fell to the ground. Yingxing was breathing erratically, exhausted from the draining battle. "Nice shot," he complimented with a breathy laugh. She smiled brightly at him as she pulled the spear back, the blood of the soldier coating the tip of the weapon as it slowly trickled down the hilt. "I... I think that was all of them. We won," she said, her smile widening. Yingxing let out a triumphant laugh as he moved in to hug her when he felt something sharp hit him through his upper torso. His eyes widened as he felt the weapon fully pierce his skin, and he immediately went to rest his hand on the wound.
The woman screamed out in terror as she rushed towards him, Yingxing's eyes impossibly wide as he looked down at what was thrust through his body in shock. He let out a heavy cough as blood spilled from his lips and he staggered forward. The woman immediately caught him as he started to collapse, helping ease him down slowly. "Yingxing!" she cried out in terror as she held him, tears immediately welling up in her eyes. To Blade's surprise, her face was still shrouded in mystery to him. This woman was important to him - so why can't he recognize her?
Blade then realized what this memory was. This was the night he died. The night he was forced to become immortal.
"Yingxing, look at me! You're... you're going to be okay! I p-promise!" she stammered, tears falling onto Yingxing's body which was beginning to grow cold already. His vision was going blurry, his gaze fixated on the woman he was in love with... 
He couldn't make sense of anything else going on. He could only focus on her, trying his hardest to ignore the pain rushing through his body. It was the worst thing he had ever felt up to that point. With a shaky hand, he moved his left hand up and slowly brushed his fingers against the woman's cheek, "I love you," Yingxing said weakly. This made the woman cry harder as she moved to gently kiss his hand, holding it tightly, "Please don't leave me. You can't." She ran her other hand through his long white hair in an attempt to soothe him. 
He couldn't fight the inevitable much longer. As much as he wanted to stare at her forever, he couldn't... His eyelids grew too heavy, and with a final shaky breath -
Blade sat up heaving heavily, waking up from the nightmare of a memory. He looked down at his hands which were shaking. His breathing was jagged as he tried to calm himself down, clutching his hand over his torso to remind himself that he was alive. Sadly. "Why didn't I fucking die that night?" Blade felt anger boil inside of him from being forced to relive that night. This was the last thing he needed - to be triggered into a fury of anger to agitate the Mara again, when Kafka wasn't there to subdue it. In a fit of anger, he grabbed his sword and rushed outside, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Why couldn't I have fucking died?!" He swung his sword so fast and aggressively that it hit a tree beside the campsite, slicing it clean in half as it fell over and tumbled down the hillside. The Mara roared inside of him, threatening to overtake his mind. All he could think about was all the things he hated most now - that retched woman Jingliu, his immortal curse, and Dan Feng... The one that cursed him. This was his fault.
Blade looked down at his sword in anger and saw his reflection in the blade once more. He noticed how blood-red his eyes had become from all the anger and he let out an angry growl, forcing himself to try and calm down. This wasn't good for him to have a breakdown without Kafka there to help him out. The last time he went rogue without her Spirit Whisper... he almost shuttered remembering all the horrific things he had done, and the agony he had felt the whole way through.
Once again, Blade was alone to dwell in his endless sorrow as he knelt on the grass, feeling defeated. When would this all end...?
"I need to discuss something important with you, Miss Y/n," Fu Xuan walked up to Y/n. She alongside the other Trailblazers would be staying in one of the hotels close to the Divination Commission. Y/n had remained behind while Welt, March, and Stelle helped repair the Divining places for Kafka's interrogation. She remained in the library, doing her research on the Vidyadhara species. Y/n turned and smiled at her, nodding as she set her book down. "Yes, ma'am... is something wrong?" she asked. Fu Xuan sat beside her. "I heard about what you spoke with the General about. He wanted me to divine you and get to the bottom of your little problem."
Y/n blinked, surprised at this. She let out a soft sigh, looking at her pendant, "Does this have to be done?" she muttered, not feeling comfortable fully with it. Fu Xuan simply nodded. "It is at the request of the General that I do this. It won't hurt. I'll simply be reading your past memories and dreams."
"That's pretty damn invasive if you ask me," she grumbled, turning in her seat to look at Fu Xuan easier. "...Fine. Just... be fast with it. I'm getting tired." Fu Xuan muttered under her breath as she rest her hand atop Y/n's head, closing her eyes. The purple gem atop her head began to glow as Fu Xuan entered Y/n's mind.
Fu Xuan went all the way to the beginning of her life, quickly sorting through centuries of memories within her mind. They had been blocked and locked away for a long, long time. Everything she saw confirmed all of Jing Yuan's suspicions. This was the same woman that was banished for aiding the Imbibitor Lunae in his sin. The woman who was married to Yingxing...
She then saw the last dream Y/n had of Blade, and immediately fully recognized him as the Stellaron Hunter's aid.
Fu Xuan pulled her hand away and gasped loudly, covering her mouth. Her eyes were wide as she processed everything she had just witnessed. Y/n opened her eyes and looked nervous at Fu Xuan's reaction. "What... what happened? What did you see?" she asked nervously. Fu Xuan glanced back at her with an intense look, "Let me see your pendant." Y/n quickly took it off of her neck and handed it to the woman. She grabbed it quickly and examined it. After a moment, she set it back down on the table in front of her. "I need to speak to the General. All I can say in good faith is that the man in your dreams is Blade, and you are connected to him more than you realize." she rest her finger on the pendant as she mentioned Blade. Y/n's heart began to race. "Are... are you saying what I think you're saying?" she asked, glancing from the pendant back at the Diviner. Fu Xuan said nothing just yet. After a beat of silence, she continued, "Yes."
Y/n felt the air leave her lungs from shock. She looked back at the pendant and held it in her hands, and the same warm feeling she had always felt from it burned in her hands and intensified. Her mind was racing with images of Blade from her dreams. "Blade... is my husband...?" she looked back at Fu Xuan. "I... I don't understand, but how? We've never met in person, I've only seen him in my dreams!"
Fu Xuan stood up, "It is not my place to say. I need to speak with the General and let him know his suspicions about you were right." Y/n stood up with her, "Suspicions about me? What does Jing Yuan know about me that I don't?" she snapped, getting angry at the secrecy. "Tell me everything right now! I have a right to know!" she yelled. Fu Xuan simply held up her hand. "Let me speak with him, and I'll be right back with you, alright?" She said with an irritated tone. She glanced at the clock on the wall, "We have at least 2 more hours until your friends finish their task. You will know the truth before Kafka's interrogation. You have my word." She didn't even let Y/n respond to her, turning on her heel and walking out.
Y/n was left alone and confused, with one thing spiraling through her mind over and over again. Blade was her husband. 
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powerfulblob · 6 months
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Not going to lie, I have so many thoughts about Entropic Float, but I think its portrayal of psychosis is probably one of the best I’ve ever seen tbh...
So, for context: Amelie Maçon experiences various degrees of auditory hallucinations. Uhh I have paranoia/delusions, etc., getting treated for that right now
Anyway this is going to be a ramble but here we go:
I think a nice realistic touch was that these got much worse in isolation/complete silence:
I feel the same way when I’m alone, honestly. If I want to clear my head, I need to be around noise and people: I can’t stay alone without music for very long. So I was actually really happy to see little bits of dialogue like that: It’s the little things like that which make the representation so much better!
2) OK this probably isn’t the best thing to be happy about but she’s not the only murderer! The “crazy evil psychotic” trope is my least favourite, and this work avoided this by having almost everyone (including non-psychotic folks) doing the murdering! So honestly that was something I liked.
3)
And even things like this line: idk it just makes me really happy
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[ID: Dialogue against a grey background with a light moon-shape in the background that reads JJ “...Plus, you know. That almost definite psychosis you’ve got going on.” JJ: “That’s a struggle that most other people don’t have.” end ID]
4) She makes friends! She does things to manage her symptoms!
Like I actually loved the detail of this: She got a happy ending! idk that just made me really happy.
so yeah: That’s it for now i guess
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asimplearchivist · 2 years
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𝓒𝓗. 𝓘 — [𓅘𓏏] (‘𝓷𝓗𝓽’ | 𝓹𝓻𝓪𝔂𝓮𝓻, 𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓱)
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𝐂𝐇. 𝐈 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐊𝐄𝐏𝐓.
[𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓽'𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽] [ 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐊𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓 ] AO3 | SPOTIFY | PINTEREST summary ☾ ⤏ khonshu hasn’t blessed a child’s conception in centuries. a sincere young woman afflicted by unfortunate circumstances manages to turn his head. pairing ☽ khonshu/singlemom!avatar!reader word count ☾ 9.4k a/n ☽ [header credit] ⤏ um...hello. not me sliding into the pigeon-fucker category at light-speed after hearing his voice the first time. (lying. it’s totally me.) ⤏ this fic was inspired by half-asleep musings at how khonshu would interact with a child, and it quickly devolved from there into a series of vignettes that has given me much more serotonin than a literal mummified birdman should ever have the right nor ability to. ⤏ he’ll definitely be ooc but that’s only because this is the version of khonshu that lives rent free in my brain. (also I promise this ri is not a crybaby. just a lot of shit happens at first and it gets a lot worse before it gets better. plus hormones are a bitch.) ⤏ enjoy. ☽ MASTERPOST ☾ ☾ ☥ ⤏ NEXT CHAPTER ☽
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Khonshu did not typically observe mortals with whom he had no direct interaction; his avatars were normally the only ones to whom he would speak, and he was invisible to the rest of humanity without expending precious energy to project himself fully into the physical realm. It was easiest on nights when the moon was fullest—but even still, doing so cost power he could scarcely afford to waste, given his separation from the rest of the Ennead and their shared domain. He mostly turned his attention to more important matters than the mundanity of common people who did not need his protection.
Not many mortals, especially outside of Egypt, knew about the Ennead in the present day, and even fewer knew about himself and what he represented—a comparatively microscopic fraction of those actually believed in the Ennead anymore outside strictly academic study, as advanced as their science and reason had become in light of faith towards the intangible powers that were. Thus Khonshu received very little power from the mortals themselves; it was partly why his semi-coalescent state appeared as deteriorated as it did. Relying upon the moon from which to draw his power was taxing at best, and the lack of devotion certainly didn't help.
Threads of dedication bound him to those precious few who did indeed call upon his name for the blessings he offered—protection was the most common, as scarce as it was, and vengeance often spurred him (and thus his avatar) to immediate action when his devoted faithful were wronged in any way. The tethers remained dormant most of the time and Khonshu was quick to address them whenever they did reawaken. New threads would appear occasionally, usually in the passing down of tradition from a parent to a child.
It was this reason that made the prayers of the faithful—even those ignorant to their intentions—that much more potent. It gave him an influx of power that he could scarcely contain, lasting for days at a time. Even passing, thoughtless, lofted pleas for assistance with no specific designation towards their recipient caught his attention. Often he blessed them because no other lunar deity would, too prideful to lay claim to the nameless, half-minded prayers. Khonshu had little other choice.
It was in this way that he found you—by pure, unanticipated happenstance.
The whisper tugged at him, nudging against his greater consciousness like the brush of a hand along his spine. The night was waning, the moon was beginning to descend as the sun caused the edges of the horizon to blush, and his avatar trudged through the balcony entrance to collapse face-first, already half-asleep, into the rumpled bed. The armor dissipated with the quietest susurrations of gauze over flesh, and that designated portion of Khonshu's power returned to him in a steady trickle. He ignored the sound at first, forcing the sliding glass door shut and locking it with short, pronounced gusts of air—this human would get killed from negligence, he knew, due to insufferable forgetfulness. It would serve Khonshu little good to have another avatar die so soon after the last, and this neighborhood wasn't the safest.
The weeping was what turned his head.
Plaintive, sincere heartache thrummed along the link steadily winding around his inner being, like white flaxen thread, coiling tighter and tighter until Khonshu could no longer ignore it—not quite sound, but vibrations that resonated like the echo of the more acute feelings stifled by distance. It was a fist lodged inside his chest, clenching, unyielding even while shaky, measured breaths passed through a clamped throat.
Khonshu slipped out of his tentative, semi-physical state, leaving his avatar to sleep the precious few hours before the day's work would begin, and followed the inexorable draw all the way across the Atlantic in the blink of an eye. London stood tall and winked in the clinging dark, midnight cast in a silvery hue from the moonlight streaming down from between the murky, gray clouds. The crescent moon was nearly spilling with light, full in its glow. The majority of the city was sleeping, but he could sense the nocturnal portion of the population still active in different pockets. Khonshu descended where the thread grew taught, settling upon the roof's edge of a hospital's side building, knee propping the arm curled around his staff as the other leg dangled. Ambulances wailed at his back closer to the reception for the ER and EMTs shouted at each other about the unfortunate victim of an automobile accident, but he paid them no mind. The perpetrator had been negligent, and those inside the opposing vehicle he'd struck with his own were only mildly rattled.
Out in the parking lot of the laboratory, the streetlights scarcely illuminated the scarce amount of vehicles scattered around the tarmac. He tipped his head down to peer into a vehicle that looked too old to be road-worthy, the paint faint and peeling, the tires bald and dry. He sat at such an angle that the driver's arms and lap were plainly visible, but her face was hidden. He focused on her trembling hands, the crumpled sheet clutched in her fingers and the teardrops dampening the paper, and leaned forward. Her shoulders were wracked with sobs that rippled through the tether, one golden-ringed hand lifting to smother the sounds he could only feel spilling from her clenched jaw.
No words were uttered—couldn't be, with the intensity of emotion gripping the young woman—but Khonshu could feel the crests of the tumultuous thoughts inside her mind. Typhoons of grief, cyclones of despair, and shockingly potent spearpoints of self-hatred crested and crashed, making her shake in their wake. He could sense the source of her hysteria without any degree of difficulty, as an image of the hospital's nursery filled with swaddled babes sleeping under warming lamps reared embittered and vile like a viper's bite in the back of her mind.
Her crying intensified in response, unadulterated want squeezing her from the inside, and Khonshu slipped off the edge of the roof to rest on the windowsill one story down to get a closer look.
'Test results negative.'
Ah. Khonshu laid his staff across his lap, arms folding over his thighs. He skimmed through the young woman's immediate memories, humming quietly to himself at the flashes of matrimony, of flying overseas, of making a home. Her husband wanted children more than anything, and she wanted to give them to him—today marked two years of continuous trying. Troubles in her marriage had festered to a breaking point in that time—a rotten combination of occupational complications, interpersonal tensions caused by perceived envy, and constant disappointments—and she was terrified of the looming outcome of the results for this "one last try".
Khonshu watched as she wiped the sticky trails of tears from her cheeks, sucking in a series of deep breaths in an attempt to control her emotions. She folded the damaged sheet carefully, tucking it into her purse in the passenger seat, then turned the key over. The vehicle sputtered and smoked and refused to start.
God, he felt, a punch right to his gut. Can this night get any worse?
Khonshu sensed her pain. A long, unforgiving day in the maternity ward, assisting new mothers in birth, filling in for vacancies made by other nurses who failed to arrive for their shifts by working late into the evening. The nursery used to be her respite, her haven of quiet and calm, but the jealous, caustic streak that had long grown lodged under her rib worsened it all. Receiving the blood test results from the sympathetic, knowing laboratory technician after clocking out had sealed the sarcophagus, so to speak.
He had dealt with many ailing, aspiring mothers throughout time. He had stimulated livestock to produce in times of hardship, and he had promoted many births for just, sincere couples desiring families—countless babes were conceived on nights like this one, with bright crescent moons, many of whom had been named after him in gratitude. It was an ability that had always delighted Tawaret to no end, and she had always thanked him profusely for his contributions—but that was before his banishment. He hadn't much cared for the sponsorship of new lives when so many of them grew up to incur his wrath, and what kindness and mercy he'd once had was limited. His exuberant efforts to better the mortal’s lives had reduced him to a shell of what he'd used to be, and though he still dedicated his existence to protecting the innocents, he had little tolerance for anyone else.
This young woman, however…
Khonshu's fingers tightened around his staff, watching her drop her forehead against the steering wheel and let out a short, shrill shriek of frustration—this he heard, piercing his skull and resonating like a broken, plucked string. He winced and slipped from the building altogether to approach the vehicle in a slow, cautious stride.
The bags under her eyes were startling, dark against the otherwise healthy tone of her skin, and the red streaking in her sclerae proved how long she'd been upset—held tightly in the base of her throat until she'd enclosed herself in the semi-privacy of her vehicle. Her knuckles were white around the steering wheel, her face scrunched into a pitiful, agonized expression.
She was a protector and a healer of those most vulnerable in the night, often taking the late shifts to monitor the health of her newborn charges, as well as their weary, recovering mothers. She was an extension of himself and his dogma, even if she was unaware of it. Perhaps this was why her distress had drawn him so strongly.
Khonshu studied her profile carefully, watching as defeat finally settled into the slump of her frame and the sorrow in her eyes.
"...I don't know what to do anymore," she whispered, and with his proximity, the words struck him like blows from a club despite her being completely ignorant to his presence. "I'm begging—I need some relief. Something. Else I..."
She didn't finish the thought. She didn't have to. She let out a long sigh, shaking her head at herself in evident deprecation.
"What're you even doing?" she murmured, tilting her head back to rest against the seat. "No one listens. No one ever does."
I am now, Khonshu rumbled, raising his palm to obscure the young woman from his vision. Power long untouched lay sleepy and unused in the depths of his wellspring, and he bathed her in it—with her being none the wiser. And I am sorry for the pain you have endured because I failed to do so sooner.
She shivered, perceiving a chill in the air and little else. She tightened her jacket around herself, tried turning the key over again, and relaxed when the vehicle finally cranked to a rattling, sputtering start. Khonshu stood still and watched her drive off, soon merging into the sparse midnight traffic on the main freeway leading towards the interior of the city.
Khonshu heaved a long, heavy sigh, and he uttered not another sound as he slipped back into the metaphysical and disappeared.
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Read the rest of the chapter here! :)
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